Fabrication of acid-controllable TiO2 microstructures: Morphology and photocatalytic activity analysis

A series of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanostructures with different microstructures were synthesized through hydrothermal synthesis. By controlling the ratio of hydrochloric acid in the reactants, which in turn varying hydrolyzing tetrabutyl titanate (Ti(OBu)₄) rates, the structures with shapes of nanosheets, nanorods, nanoflowers and nanoclusters were obtained, and the feature of these microstructures was depicted in details through scanning electron microscope(SEM). The formation processes and mechanisms for the different nanostructures were analyzed and discussed. The photocatalytic properties were also researched, which showed that different microstructures had disparate photocatalytic properties.