Ionic liquid-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles and its application in photocatalysis

Anatase TiO2 nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized at 130 °C for 2 days via ionic liquid-assisted hydrothermal method. The obtained products are characterized using various techniques. The X-ray diffraction data reveal that the nanoparticles are anatase TiO2. FTIR spectrum shows that the presence of ionic liquid and indicates Ti–O–Ti peak at around 398 cm−1, and the bands at 1500 and 1600 cm−1 indicates C–H in-plane vibrations and stretching of imidazolium ring. Raman spectroscopy show bands at 142, 393, 513, and 636 cm−1 reveal crystalline anatase phase. UV–Vis spectroscopy shows the λ max at 355 nm corresponding to a band gap of 3.49 eV. TEM images reveal that the average diameters of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles are in the range 50–100 nm. Anatase TiO2 exhibited excellent photocatalysis for the degradation of organic dye.