Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Rutile Titania by Co-thermal Hydrolysis of TiCl_4 and TiCl_3 Solutions

Nanocrystalline titania powders in the rutile phase were prepared by the homogeneous precipitation method using TiCl4 and TiCl3 as starting materials. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis and BET surface area measurement. The solution concentration and the added amount of Ti3+ determined the properties of the obtained TiO2 powders. The photocatalytic activity of the powder was also studied by using the degradation of phenol in water as a test reaction. It shows higher photocatalytic activity both in degradation rate and in degradation efficiency, probably due to the ultrafine particle size, higher specific surface areas and more active surface groups for physicochemical adsorption.