Urea coordinated titanium trichloride Ti(III)[OC(NH)2]6Cl3: a single molecular precursor yielding highly visible light responsive TiO2 nanocrystallites

A coordination complex, Ti(III)OC(NH2)2]6Cl3, was first synthesized via reacting hot alcoholic solutions of TiCl3 and urea, which was subsequently employed as a molecular precursor for nanocrystalline TiO2 via thermal decomposition. Fourier transform IR spectroscopy confirmed C=O-->Ti coordination bond formation, while Rietveld refinement revealed a hexagonal crystal structure (space group: Pc1) for the complex with a = b = 16.438(4) A, c = 15.423(3) A, alpha = beta = 90 degrees , gamma = 120 degrees , and V = 3608.9(13) A3. Thermal decomposition and phase evolution processes of the complex were investigated in air by combined means of elemental analysis, Fourier transform IR, differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Characterizations of the resultant TiO2 powders were achieved by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, thermal desorption spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Simultaneous doping of C, N, and Cl was realized upon pyrolyzing the molecular precursor in air, leading to significantly lowered direct and indirect interband transition energies of the resultant TiO2. As a consequence, the anatase nanopowders obtained at 450 and 500 degrees C, with specific surface areas of 97.8 and 64.1 m2/g, respectively, exhibit significantly higher efficiency than Degussa P25 in the bleaching of methyl orange solution under visible light (mainly consisting two wavelengths of 405 and 436 nm at 81:100 intensity ratio) irradiation, either at a fixed weight of TiO2 loading or at a fixed surface area of the loaded TiO2 powder.