Size and shape effect on the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 brookite

Thanks to aqueous sol–gel chemistry, it is now possible to prepare several phase pure TiO2 brookite colloidal systems that significantly differ on nanoparticles size and shape. This TiO2 polymorph is more difficult to be obtained as phase pure material than anatase or rutile. Here we have prepared a set of four different sol–gel brookite syntheses with particles size ranging from 10 to 500 nm and significantly different morphologies as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. We have studied their photocatalytic activities in aqueous solution on phenol and formic acid. The brookite sample with higher specific surface displays better activity for both pollutants abatement than anatase and rutile reference samples and very close to the TiO2 P25 commercial reference. Additional experimental characterization of photogenerated charge carriers and their lifetime is performed using time-resolved microwave conductivity. We could then explain why another efficient brookite material is able to compensate a significantly lower specific surface with a higher photon conversion rate. This study involving a broad set of pure phase brookite samples brings back that phase into the TiO2 polymorphs race for light-enhanced applications. It confirms that size/shape–activity correlation already observed for the anatase polymorph is also valid for the brookite phase.