The influence of addition of a catalyst and chelating agent on the properties of titanium dioxide synthesized via the sol–gel method

Abstract

Abstract: Titanium dioxide powders were prepared via the sol–gel method, using titanium alkoxide as a precursor. It was investigated how the addition of a catalyst (ammonia) and chelating agent (acetylacetone), as well as the temperature of calcination, affects the properties of the resulting TiO2 powder. The physicochemical properties of samples were determined, including the dispersion, morphology and microstructure of the systems (particle size distribution, TEM images), crystalline structure (XRD), characteristics of porous structure (BET), and thermal stability (TGA/DTA). The samples were also analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, for selected TiO2 systems, their photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of C.I. Basic Blue 9 was investigated. Our research results show that the presence of chelating agent in the synthesis of titanium dioxide caused significant changes in dispersive properties, crystalline structure and porous structure parameters. The novel feature of this work is the proposed method of synthesis of highly photoactive titanium dioxide with desirable physicochemical properties in the presence of a chelating agent such as acetylacetone. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]