Hierarchically structured TIO2 nanorod spheres for clean water and energy production

Abstract

This study focuses on the synthesis of hierarchical TiO2 nanorod spheres for photocatalytic clean water and energy production. TiO2 nanorod spheres were firstly synthesized by developing a facile template-free low-temperature hydrothermal method. In order to overcome the drawbacks of hydrothermal method for practical engineering applications, facile novel calcination method was developed to scale-up fabricate TiO2 nanorod spheres via deliberately adding TiCl3 into resorcinol and formaldehyde reaction. Hydrothermally synthesized TiO2 nanorod spheres were applied for concurrent photocatalytic membrane filtration for water purification via a “win-win” strategy to maximize the advantages of photocatalysis and membrane filtration. Calcined TiO2 nanorod spheres were used for simultaneous photocatalytic H2 generation and Cu2+ recovery. The formation mechanisms of TiO2 nanorod spheres were elaborated and the detailed influencing factors were investigated systematically. It is of great significance not only in promoting the scale-up fabrication of hierarchical TiO2 nanorod spheres but also in broadening their applications in clean water and energy production.