Preparation of TiO2 hollow microspheres by a novel vesicle template method and their enhanced photocatalytic properties

TiO2 hollow microspheres were successfully prepared via a novel vesicle template method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption and UV–vis absorbance spectra. It was demonstrated that TiO2 hollow microspheres with diameter of about 1 μm were self-assembled by one-dimensional (1-D) TiO2 nanorods. The photocatalytic property of TiO2 hollow microspheres was investigated by decomposing methylene blue (MB) under simulated sunlight. The result shows that specific surface area of TiO2 hollow microspheres reaches 155 m2/g and photocatalytic efficiency of these microspheres is higher than that of the commercial TiO2 (Degussa P25). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared TiO2 microspheres here could result from their high specific surface area, the hollow structure and 1-D TiO2 nanorod structure.