Photocatalytic TiO 2 Nanostructures Developed on the Grade 2 Ti Material

Abstract

The research focused on TiO2 nanostructures environmental applications due to the special characteristics that displayed degradation of the organic compounds into environmentally friendly products through exposure to UV light. The protocol behind obtaining the nanostructures involved the use of a Ti material exposed to alkaline treatment and advanced oxidation using NaOH solution and acetone. These studied nanostructures were analyzed extensively by using methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for characterizing the elements, compounds and morphological properties of the material. These differences in morphology is attributed to different NaOH solution concentrations. The Ti sheets were immersed into NaOH and acetone mixed solutions for 72 hours. The best results were recorded by using 30% NaOH solution. After obtaining the 3D structures, which improve specific surface and contact area with the environment, the samples were tested under UV light in order to degrade methylene blue in order to determine their photocatalytic performance.