Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of undoped and doped TiO2 nanopowders

Undoped and doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared from titanium tetraisopropoxide hydrolysis using sol-gel method. TiO2 nanoparticles were dried and then annealed at 120°C for 2 h and used without any other treatments for characterization and photocatalytic measurements. Characterizations of nano titania powders were carried out with several experimental techniques such as Thermal Analysis (DSC/TG), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and Raman spectroscopy. Methyl orange photocatalytic degradation by TiO2 powders was investigated.