Synthesis of Na+/Ca2+ ions modified TiO2 xerogels through co precipitation method

Abstract

We report a facile method for the synthesis of Na⁺/Ca²⁺ ions modified TiO₂xerogels by coprecipitation followed by calcination process. The resultant materials are well characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Presence of sodium and calcium ions can influence the crystallinity of rutile TiO₂. The photocatalytic performances of bare rutile TiO₂ along with modified materials such as Na-TiO₂, Ca-TiO₂, Na-Ca-TiO₂materials are evaluated by calculating the amount of hydrogen evolved during the photocatalytic decomposition of water under light irradiation.This study will be effective informulating the effect of alkali/alkaline earth metal ions on the photocatalytic activity of rutile TiO₂.