Photocatalytic properties of anatase/brookite nanocomposite

Abstract

The photocatalytic properties of hydrothermally obtained anatase/brookite nanocomposite are studied. The influence of phase composition, structure, morphology, and optical characteristics of synthesized materials on their photocatalytic characteristics is investigated. Methylene blue and formaldehyde photooxidation reactions are analysed. The maximal photocatalytic activity in the case of methylene blue oxidation is detected for material with the highest brookite content (93 mass.%) with particles of complex morphology. The anatase/brookite composite (with the phase mass ratio 3: 1) has the highest activity for formaldehyde aqueous-solution destruction as a result of both the separation-efficiency increase for photogenerated charge carriers and the quantum-yield enhancement as a consequence of the anatase/brookite phase boundaries' presence within the bulk of the one particle.