Synthesis and Characterization of Urchin-like Mischcrystal TiO2 and Its Photocatalysis

The urchin-like mischcrystal TiO2 using acid attapulgite as an introducer was synthesized after a subsequent low-temperature hydrolyzation and crystallization followed by removal of acid attapulgite. The samples were characterized by transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Acid attapulgite plays a critical role in the morphology and crystal structure of TiO2. The results suggest that the perfect urchin-like mischcrystal TiO2 is fabricated when the mass ratio of TiO2 and acid attapulgite is 0.7:1. The single urchin-like TiO2 is comprised of a nanosphere and plentiful nanoneedles. The nanoneedles grow radially on the surface of the nanosphere. The urchin-like TiO2 is around 100 nm, and the nanoneedles have a diameter ranging from 2 to 5 nm. It has been confirmed that the chemical groups of acid attapulgite have a significant influence on the growth of TiO2. In addition, the urchin-like mischcrystal TiO2 exhibits excellent activity to assist photodegradation of Rhodamine B aqueous solution under ultraviolet light, and the degradation rate is about 94.15% for 80 min. The photocatalytic kinetics can be well described by the pseudo-first rate equation.