Facile Synthesis by Peroxide Method and Microwave‐Assisted Hydrothermal Treatment of TiO2 with High Photocatalytic Efficiency for Dye Degradation and Hydrogen Production

Nanostructured titanium dioxide with high photocatalytic efficiency was synthesised by the oxidant peroxide method and microwave‐assisted hydrothermal treatment without calcination or doping. The influence of pH during hydrothermal treatment was investigated on the morphology, crystallinity, phase composition, specific surface area, photoluminescence properties, and photocatalytic behaviour. The pH of the medium had no significant effect on the nanostructured titanium dioxide morphologies but at higher pH, the powders presented lower surface area and higher particle size. A slight decrease in the photoluminescence intensity of the sample prepared at low pH was related to surface protonation. This material also exhibited higher photocatalytic performance in degrading methyl orange solutions than those obtained at a higher pH or commercial TiO2. Aditionally, the hydrogen production rate increased with the solution pH following heat treatment, with optimized results in deionized water. Finally, the powders did not require either heat treatment or doping with another metal to achieve more activity than the commercially available oxide. Nanostructured titanium dioxide with high photocatalytic efficiency was synthesised by the oxidant peroxide method and microwave‐assisted hydrothermal treatment without calcination or doping.