TiO2 Nanoparticles for Methylene Blue Dye Degradation: Effect of Calcination Temperature

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were prepared by a simple sol-gel process and calcined for 2 h at various temperatures between 300°C and 600 °C to examine the thermal, physical, morphological, optical, and photocatalytic properties of the material. TGA and DTA studies investigated the thermal properties of the synthesized materials. The crystallinity, phase transformation, and crystallite size of the samples were examined by XRD analysis which was further confirmed by Raman analysis. The BET and BJH methods were used to calculate the textural parameters of materials. The structural changes and modifications in the morphology of the sample with calcination temperatures were studied by FTIR and SEM analysis. The elemental composition employed during synthesis is confirmed by the EDS pattern. The average particle size and spherical shape were examined by the HR-TEM study. The elemental state was demonstrated by XPS spectra. The increase in the size of nanoparticles with calcination temperatures is also confirmed by UV–vis and PL studies. The photodegradation behavior of samples was tested for 10 ppm MB dye and improved efficiency was found to be 94.96% for the sample calcined at 400 °C for 2 h.