Influence of the sodium/proton replacement on the structural, morphological and photocatalytic properties of titanate nanotubes

Titanate nanotubes (TNTs) with different sodium contents have been synthesised using a hydrothermal approach and a swift and highly controllable post-washing processes. The influence of the sodium/proton replacement on the structural and morphological characteristics of the prepared materials was analysed. Different optical behaviours were observed depending on the Na+/H+ samples’ content. A band gap energy of 3.27 ± 0.03 eV was estimated for the material with higher sodium content while a value of 2.81 ± 0.02 eV was inferred for the most protonated material, which therefore exhibits an absorption edge in the near visible region. The point of zero charge of the materials was determined and the influence of the sodium content on the adsorption of both cationic and anionic organic dyes was studied. The photocatalytic performance of the TNTs samples was evaluated in the rhodamine 6G degradation process. Best photodegradation results were obtained when using the most protonated material as catalyst, although this material has shown the lowest R6G adsorption capability.