Advancement of Sol-Gel–Prepared TiO2 Photocatalyst

Abstract

This chapter elaborates a review of sol-gel-prepared TiO 2 photocatalyst for different photocatalytic applications. Among the semiconductors employed, TiO 2 is known as an attractive photocatalyst owing to its high photosensitivity, nontoxicity, easy availability, strong oxidizing power and long-term stability. Some research works related to the effect of solgel preparation parameters on physicochemical properties and different photocatalytic applications of prepared TiO 2 photocatalysts are reported. Furthermore, various sol-gel and related systems for modification of TiO 2 photocatalytic performance, including transition metals and co-doing of TiO 2 , were considered. The results illustrated that doping TiO 2 with metal ions through sol-gel method usually resulted in an improved efficiency of TiO 2 photocatalyst. This method has all the advantages over other preparation techniques in terms of purity, homogeneity, felicity and flexibility in introducing dopants in a large concentration, stoichiometry control, ease of processing and composition control.

One-Dimensional Titanium Dioxide and Its Application for Photovoltaic Devices

“…In rutile structure, sharing edges of octahedrons at (001) planes give the tetragonal structure as shown in Figure 1b. While an orthorhombic structure of Brookite is the result of sharing both edges and corners of octahedrons [5,6]. Rutile is the most stable crystal phase of TiO 2 while anatase is a metastable phase, which can be transformed to thermodynamically stable rutile over calcination temperature exceeding ~600°C [7,8].…”

“…Nanostructure materials need to meet some requirements for photocatalytic application; (i) should possess a sufficiently large active surface area, (ii) have a broad light absorption band to utilize the full range of solar spectrum, and (iii) should be an effective charge carrier separation to transfer more electron and hole to the interface of the electrode/electrolyte. Nevertheless, there is no Titanium Dioxide -Material for a Sustainable Environment single material, which can match all above criteria [1,6,32,33]. Here, we reviewed the developed strategies on bandgap engineering of titania to extend light absorption into visible light through doping metal and non-metal ions and compositing with another semiconductor for synergic absorption and charge separation for enhanced utilization of solar energy [34].…”

“…It would be interesting to combine solar energy and water in PEC cell to produce truly renewable and low environmental impact fuel on both large and small scale. A photocatalyst is the core of this system with some requirements like an optimal bandgap energy approximately 2 eV and a sufficient negative CB position [6]. Up to date, there has not been found any photocatalyst that meets all requirements for hydrogen production in the PEC cell.…”

Photocatalytic Performance of Sol-Gel Prepared TiO2 Thin Films Annealed at Various Temperatures

“…Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) is a widely studied metal oxide semiconductor due to its diverse applications in the fields of electro-optical devices [1], self-cleaning [2][3][4], functional coatings including anti-fogging surface coatings [5][6][7] and corrosive coatings [8], solar cells [9][10][11], photocatalysis [12][13][14], various sensors [15][16][17][18], batteries [19][20][21][22], and energy harvesting [23][24][25]. TiO 2 shows advantages over other photosensitive materials because of its high photocorrosion resistance in aqueous media, cost-effectiveness, ease of access, and environmental-friendliness [26]. TiO 2 powder, such as the commercially available P25 powder from Degussa, has been studied thoroughly [27][28][29][30][31].…”

Effect of TiO2 polymorphs and crystallite size on the catalytic properties of Pt/TiO2 in the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol

“…The sol-gel process is a method for producing solid materials from a small molecule. The method is used for the fabrication of metal oxides, especially the oxide of silicon and titanium [21]. A sol is a stable suspension of colloidal solid particle in the liquid phase.…”