Low-temperature synthesis of mesoporous TiO2 photocatalyst with self-cleaning strategy to remove organic templates

A novel low-temperature method integrated solvothermal and self-cleaning technique has been developed to prepare mesoporous TiO2 photocatalyst using triblock copolymers P123 as templates. The organic templates could be removed completely by the self-cleaning strategy under simulated sunlight irradiation. The product is characterized by FTIR, TG, XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms and TEM. The mild condition of the method is advantageous to retain the mesostructure compared with the calcination procedure. Further study indicates that the sample displays a higher photocatalytic activity for MO degradation than that of calcined sample, which could be attributed to its higher surface area, smaller crystal size and larger surface hydroxyl content.