非TiO2光催化剂去除气态VOCs

本文综述了近年来非TiO₂光催化剂降解气态挥发性有机物（VOCs）的研究现状。对一些有代表性的新型光催化剂,如金属氧化物、宽带隙p区金属氧化物/氢氧化物、钙钛矿类、尖晶石类、铋系化合物、钒系化合物等的结构与光催化性能之间的关系进行分析。另外,本文从VOCs初始浓度、流速、光源、光强、温度、湿度等光催化反应的工艺条件出发,概述了工艺参数对VOCs废气净化效果影响的研究进展;并对目前非TiO₂光催化剂研究中存在的主要问题进行总结并展望。     

TiO2/AC复合光催化剂对苯和丁醛的气相光催化降解机理

 利用溶胶-凝胶并水热处理法制备了TiO2光催化剂和TiO2/AC复合光催化剂,在静态光催化反应器中研究了苯和丁醛的气相吸附和光催化降解,利气相色谱分析确定了生成的中间体. 结果表明, TiO2/AC复合光催化剂比TiO2光催化剂具有较强的吸附能力和较高的光催化活性; 在TiO2和TiO2/AC上,苯(或丁醛)光催化降解产生相同的中间体,表明在两种催化剂上发生的光催化反应遵循相同的机理,进而讨论了其可能的光催化氧化途径.     

TiO2光催化降解苯和甲苯的动力学研究

利用溶胶-凝胶法制备了粒径约为13nm、晶型为锐钛矿相和金红石相混晶的TiO2光催化剂,并利用此催化剂对挥发性有机污染物苯和甲苯进行了光催化降解研究,对不同的催化剂用量、光源、污染物的初始浓度以及氧气对光催化反应速率的影响进行了研究。结果表明,光催化降解甲苯和苯的反应均符合假一级动力学方程,光强与光催化降解甲苯的反应的速率常数之间呈指数关系,光波长对光催化降解苯的影响也很显著;随着甲苯和苯初始浓度的增加,光催化反应速率常数降低;氧气加快了光催化降解甲苯和苯的速率;对于光催化降解初始浓度为37.6μmol/L的甲苯而言,催化剂的最佳使用量为0.30g,对于光催化降解初始浓度为9.0μmol/L的苯来说,催化剂的最佳用量为0.10g。     

TiO2纳米粒子的光催化活性与光伏响应特性研究

TiO2纳米粒子由于其具有良好的化学稳定性、耐光腐蚀性、宽带隙能和大的比表面积等特点而被广泛地应用到光催化降解有机污染物^[1,2]和光催化储能等方面。由于研究手段和研究方法的限制,详细了解催化剂表面光生电荷行为、光谱谱带与催化活性的关系比较困难,而这些关系将为制备高催化活性的光催化剂提供理论基础,由于光催化活性的高低与催化剂的表面性质直接相关,表面光电压谱（SPS）是研究固体材料表面物性和界面间电荷转移过程的有利手段^[3],其为控制光催化机理提供了新的手段。本文利用表面光电压谱方法对系纳米TiO2光催化剂进行了光伏响应测试,发现TiO2的晶型、粒径及表面吸附物对其光催化活性有很大影响。不同性质的表面吸附物可使催化剂表面呈现不同的导电特性,而使其光催化活性不同。利用能带理论和场效应原理对此进行了 合理的解释。     

TiO2纳米管阵列在环境领域的研究进展

TiO2纳米管阵列是一种新型的无机功能材料,具有化学惰性、气敏、介电效应、良好的生物兼容性、较强的光催化能力以及抗化学腐蚀和光腐蚀的能力,特别是具有很好的光催化活性,使其在太阳能的储存与利用、环境净化、催化剂、光催化降解环境污染物等方面有比较多的研究应用.TiO2纳米管阵列通过一定的修饰可以使其吸收光谱向可见光区迁移,同时它兼具成本低廉、环境友好等优点,是当前环境污染物削减与监控的重要研究方向之一.本文主要对近年来国内外TiO2纳米管阵列作为光催化剂降解环境污染物和作为功能材料在环境分析检测中的应用进行简要综述,为开发新型污染物监控与处理技术及拓展TiO2纳米管阵列的潜能提供重要参考.     

空气中苯系物的TiO2光催化降解研究进展

本文对近年来空气中挥发性苯系物的TiO2光催化降解机理、TiO2光催化降解苯系物的主要影响因素以及TiO2的失活与再生方法等的研究进展进行了较详尽的评述,并对今后的研究工作进行了展望。     

气相苯在TiO2光催化剂上吸附常数和光催化反应常数测定

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备TiO2光催化剂以及掺杂Fe3 和Ce3 的TiO2光催化剂,进行间歇式光催化降解气相苯动力学实验,基于光催化Langmuir-Hinshelwood反应动力学模型(L-H模型),测定气相苯在3种光催化剂上的降解动力学常数和吸附平衡常数.根据光催化降解气相苯实验动力学曲线和L-H模型,估算出TiO2、Fe3 /TiO2和Ce3 /TiO2光催化剂光催化降解苯的反应速率常数k和Langmuir吸附常数K分别为0.5247g/m3·min、1.523g/m3·min、1.010g/m3·min和8.605×10-2m3/g、2.390×10-2m3/g、3.928×10-2m3/g.掺杂Fe3 和Ce3 可明显提高光催化剂光催化降解苯的反应速率常数k,其中Fe3 /TiO2,的反应速率常数k最大.     

非金属改性可见光诱导的TiO2光催化

为拓展二氧化钛的光响应波长范围并提高其光催化活性,通常采用掺杂金属、金属氧化物或金属离子的方法.大量研究表明,掺杂金属、金属氧化物或金属离子往往以损失TiO2光催化剂在紫外光区的光催化活性为代价,而掺杂非金属离子不但能将TiO2的光响应波长拓展至可见光区域外,还能保持在紫外光区的光催化活性,在利用太阳光光催化方面展现出崭新的应用前景.本文综述了非金属氮、碳、硫、氟等掺杂改性二氧化钛光催化的最新进展.     

纳米TiO2光催化剂改性研究进展

TiO2光催化活性高,化学稳定性好,绿色环保及价廉等特点,在污水处理、有机污染物降解、催化制氢、抗菌抗癌及自清洁等方面有巨大的应用前景。然而TiO2半导体禁带宽,光谱范围小,光量子效率低等问题限制了其光催化性能。文章综述了TiO2光催化剂优化改性的研究进展,系统分析了TiO2半导体的结构特征与作用机理,以及TiO2光催化过程的影响因素,着重介绍了TiO2光催化剂多元优化改性方法的优势及不足,最后对未来发展新型TiO2基光催化剂提出了建议。     

以工业粉煤灰为原料制备 TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂及其催化性能

2-仲丁基-4,6-二硝基苯酚(DNBP)作为杀虫剂、除草剂和烯烃基芳香族化合物阻聚剂而被广泛地应用于工农业生产中.在 DNBP生产和使用过程中,会产生大量难以降解的有机废水,从而对人类和生态环境造成极大危害.因此,开展含 DNBP废水的处理技术和方法研究具有重要的现实意义. TiO2半导体材料由于具有良好的光化学特性和电化学行为,近几十年来一直是光催化领域的研究热点.在能量等于或大于 TiO2的带隙能级的辐照光照射下, TiO2可以产生光生电子/空穴对(e-/h+).光生电子和空穴分别与 TiO2表面被吸附的 H2O和 O2分子反应,生成具有强氧化性的活性羟基自由基(?OH),对硝基酚类有机污染物具有较强的降解能力. TiO2光催化反应属于非均相反应,反应在催化剂的表面进行,催化剂对污染物的吸附是影响其催化降解性能的重要因素.但是,传统 TiO2光催化剂存在比表面积小,对有机污染物吸附能力差,光生电子与空穴易于复合等缺陷,限制了 TiO2光催化技术的进一步发展和在水处理领域中的大规模应用.我们基于气凝胶具有多孔性、大比表面积和高孔隙率的特点,以富含硅、铝的工业废弃物粉煤灰为反应原料,首先利用碱熔法和常压干燥技术制备出 SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶.在此基础上,以钛酸四丁酯(TBOT)为反应前体, SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶为载体,利用酸催化溶胶-凝胶法(sol-gel)制备出 TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂.利用 X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、N2吸附-脱附(BET)、紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-vis)等分析测试技术对所制备的 TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂结构进行了表征.结果显示,在 TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂中,粒径尺寸为10~30 nm的锐钛矿型 TiO2纳米颗粒均匀分散在 SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶载体上. TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂呈现典型介孔材料的 IV型等温线. SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶的加入极大提高了 TiO2光催化剂的比表面积和对有机污染物的吸附性能,但是对 TiO2光波吸收范围影响不大.在制备出 TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂基础上,进一步对其在可见光条件下的光催化性能进行了研究.以500 W的 Xe灯光源模拟自然太阳光, DNBP为探针污染物分子,系统考察了可见光照射条件下溶液 pH值、光催化剂用量、光反应时间、DNBP溶液初始浓度不同因素对 TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂催化活性的影响.结果表明, TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂对 DNBP有机污染物的吸附率和光降解率明显高于纯 TiO2样品.在 DNBP溶液初始浓度为0.167 mmol/L, pH =4.86,催化剂用量6 g/L,光照时间5 h的条件下, TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂对 DNBP的降解率几乎高达100%.根据 Langmuir-Hinshelwood方程,在低浓度下光催化降解反应符合一级反应动力学.所制备的 TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂具有良好的稳定性和重复利用性能.重复利用5次后, TiO2/SiO2-Al2O3气凝胶三元复合光催化剂对 DNBP的降解率仍高达90%以上.利用紫外-可见分光光度计、气相-质谱联用仪对 DNBP降解中间产物进行了分析,探讨了 DNBP的光催化降解机理.     

环境湿度对TiO2/活性炭纤维气-固光催化氧化甲苯的影响

在恒温控湿的环境舱中,以自制的TiO2/ACF(活性炭纤维)为光催化剂,研究了环境湿度对甲苯光催化降解过程的影响.通过N2吸附和扫描电子显微镜分别对TiO2/ACF光催化剂的孔径结构和形貌特征进行了表征;利用GC-MS和GC-FID对甲苯光催化过程中生成的中间产物进行了定性及定量分析.结果表明,环境舱中相对湿度增大,甲苯光催化转化率提高;不同相对湿度下,积累在光催化剂表面的中间产物种类相同,但支链氧化产物(苯甲醇、苯甲醛和苯甲酸)的积累量远多于苯环氧化产物(甲酚和对甲基苯酚)的积累量;随环境相对湿度的增大,苯甲醛在光催化剂表面的积累量减小,其余中间产物的积累量均有不同程度的增加.这说明水分子在甲苯光催化过程中起重要作用,相对湿度不仅影响甲苯的光催化转化效率,还影响其光催化转化的过程.尽管在各湿度条件下,支链氧化都是甲苯光催化降解的主要途径,但环境湿度增大更有利于苯环氧化途径的进行.讨论了水蒸气在甲苯光催化氧化过程中的作用机理.     

Mechanistic evaluation of arsenite oxidation in TiO2 assisted photocatalysis

We report herein a detailed assessment of the roles of O2, H2O2, *OH, and O2-* in the TiO2 assisted photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of arsenite. Although both arsenite, As(III), and arsenate, As(V), adsorb extensively onto the surface of TiO2, past studies relied primarily on the analysis of the arsenic species in solution, neglecting those adsorbed onto the surface of TiO2. We used extraction and analyses of the arsenic species adsorbed onto the surface of the TiO2 to illustrate that the oxidation of As(III) to As(V) occurs in an adsorbed state during TiO2 PCO. The TiO2 photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of surface adsorbed As(III) in deoxygenated solutions with electron scavengers, Cu2+, and polyoxometalates (POM) yields oxidation rates that are comparable to those observed under oxygen saturation, implying the primary role of oxygen is as a scavenger of the conduction band electron. Pulse radiolysis and competition kinetics were employed to determine a rate constant of 3.6 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) for the reaction of As(III) with O2-*. Transient absorption studies of adsorbed hydroxyl radicals, generated by subjecting colloidal TiO2 to radiolytic conditions, provide convincing evidence that the adsorbed hydroxyl radical (TiO2+*OH) plays the central role in the oxidation with As(III) during TiO2 assisted photocatalysis. Our results suggest the reaction of superoxide anion radical does not contribute in the conversion of As(III) when compared to the reaction of As(III) with *OH radical during TiO2 PCO.     

In situ reactivity and FTIR study of the wet and dry photooxidation of propane on anatase TiO2

The photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of trace amounts of propane (500 ppm) on nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 has been investigated in situ as a function of temperature (T = 318-473 K), humidity (C(H2O) = 0-4%), and time by means of mass spectrometry and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT). Propane adsorbs associatively on TiO2 at 318 K in dry air, while at 473 K small amounts of thermal dissociation products appear on the surface. In agreement with previous studies, propane is found primarily to be converted to acetone by reactions with photogenerated oxygen radicals. Various successive reaction paths exist, where the branching depends on the temperature and hydroxylation state of the surface. Under dry conditions at 318 K, acetone oxidation is initially kinetically hindered, while, above 400 K, acetone readily decomposes. The thermally assisted reaction channel leads to detrimental bonding of surface species and inhibition of the catalytic activity. It is manifested by a coloration of the sample and suggested to be coupled to surface reduction. Under humidified conditions, there is an optimum of the PCO in C(H2O) and T space, which is estimated to correspond to an equilibrium coverage of one monolayer of H2O (or bilayer). The latter reaction condition also corresponds to sustained high propane conversion and is characterized by rapid establishment of steady state rates. The optimum PCO is discussed in terms of a balance between (i) sustaining enough of a photoactive water monolayer to avoid detrimental bonding of surface species, (ii) allowing reactants to adsorb and access bulk TiO2 photoexcitations, and at the same time (iii) maximizing the thermally assisted decomposition of intermediates.     

TiO2/Au纳米棒阵列的制备及其光催化性能

采用电沉积和旋转涂膜相结合的方法成功制备了高度有序的TiO2/Au纳米棒阵列催化剂.扫描电镜和透射电镜结果表明,TiO2薄膜均匀地包覆在Au纳米棒的表面,形成核壳型的一维阵列结构.X射线衍射分析表明所获得TiO2为(101)晶面优先生长的锐钛矿晶相.紫外-可见漫反射光谱显示,由于Au和TiO2间肖特基结的存在造成吸收红...     

Enhanced remote photocatalytic oxidation on surface-fluorinated TiO2

The mobile nature of active oxygen species generated on the UV-illuminated TiO2 surface is now well-recognized. Surface oxidants not only migrate two-dimensionally but also desorb from the surface to be air-borne oxidants. The remote photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of stearic acids over the surface-fluorinated TiO2 (F-TiO2) film was carried out in the ambient air to study the effects of fluorination on the desorption of oxidants from the surface. The F-TiO2 film was faced to a stearic acid-coated glass plate separated by a small gap (typically 30 microm), and the photocatalytic degradation of the stearic acid was monitored by Fourier transform infrared measurement or gas-chromatographic CO2 production analysis. Remote photocatalytic degradation of stearic acids was markedly faster with F-TiO2 than with the pure TiO2 film, which indicates that the generation of air-borne oxidants is enhanced over the F-TiO2 surface. The remote PCO activity was higher with a higher surface fluoride concentration, higher UV intensity, and smaller gap. The remote photocatalytic activity of F-TiO2 was maximal at a relative humidity of 50% and did not show any sign of deactivation with repeated reactions. The production of CO2 that evolved as a result of the remote PCO of stearic acids was enhanced when H2O2 vapor was present but was strongly inhibited in the presence of ammonia gas that should scavenge OH radicals. Judging from various evidences, the air-borne oxidants in remote PCO are most likely OH radicals and the surface fluorination of TiO2 seems to facilitate the desorption of OH radicals.     

Phenol photodegradation on platinized-TiO2 photocatalysts related to charge-carrier dynamics

Three commercial TiO2 compounds (Degussa P25, Sachtleben UV100, and Millenium PC50) and their platinized forms have been studied by the time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) method to follow their charge-carrier dynamics and to relate it to the photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation in TiO2 aqueous suspensions. The degradation reaction has been studied in detail, following the time evolution of the concentration of phenol and its intermediates by liquid chromatography. The results show that platinization has a distinct influence on the commercial compounds, decreasing globally the activity of P25 and increasing the activity of PC50 and UV100. An influence of charge-carrier lifetimes on the photoactivity of pure and platinized TiO2 samples has been evidenced.     

二氧化钛纳米材料的非均相光催化本质及表面改性

非均相光催化过程是指多相多尺度体系在光辐射作用下发生的一个复杂的催化过程,被认为最有潜力解决环境污染和能源短缺问题的绿色及可再生的技术之一。在目前已经报道的各种非均相光催化剂中, TiO2纳米材料被证实是应用最广泛、光催化效果最好的催化剂,是当前国际材料、环境和能源等领域的研究前沿和热点,高性能TiO2基光催化材料的设计及改性一直是该领域的难点,其关键问题主要为：如何增强TiO2的表面光催化量子效率、促进光生载流子分离和拓展其可见光响应范围。尽管已经有很多关于TiO2光催化的综述,但大多综述集中在高性能TiO2的制备及各种改性策略研究,而对各种改性策略与光催化分子机理之间的关系阐述较少。为此,本文深入分析了TiO2纳米材料的非均相光催化本质并总结了各种表面改性策略。首先从热力学角度阐明TiO2的热力学能带能够确保其实现各种典型光催化反应(包括光催化降解、CO2还原及光解水),证实其广泛应用的可行性。然后,对TiO2光生载流子的动力学基础进行总结,证实快速的广生载流子复合以及较慢的表面化学反应动力学是限制其光催化活性提高的关键制约性因素。于此同时,对TiO2纳米材料的表面Zeta点位、超亲水性、超强酸光催化剂制备(表面羟基取代)等重要的表面化学性质也进行了详细阐述。从而可以初步得出如下结论：表面改性是设计高性能TiO2光催化材料的重中之重,并将各种改性策略浓缩在6个方面：表面掺杂和敏化,构建表面异质结,负载纳米助催化剂,增加可利用的比表面剂,利用表面氟效应以及暴露高活性晶面等。显然,表面掺杂和敏化可以减小TiO2纳米材料的禁带宽度,从而大幅拓宽其可见光吸收范围及光催化效率。而构建紧密的表面异质结可以创建界面电场,不仅可以促进光生电荷分离效率,而且可以有效提高界面电荷转移效率,最终实现异质结的高光催化效率。负载纳米助催化剂则可以大幅加快表面化学反速率,降低光生载流子的表面复合并增加其利用率,并有可能减少不期望的表面逆反应,从而实现光催化活性提升。增加可利用的比表面剂,可以有效提升光催化剂与吸附质之间的有效接触面积,缩短了载流子的传输距离以及通过多次反射与折射提升光能的利用率,从而全方位地提升TiO2纳米材料的光催化活性。对TiO2纳米材料表面进行氟化,可以增加光生羟基自由基的速率以及浓度,并可以通过调节TiO2表面酸碱性而控制其光催化选择性,从而实现高效高选择性光催化。最后,通过暴露TiO2纳米材料的高活性晶面,也可以促进光生载流子分离、增加吸附性能或羟基自由基生成速率,从而获得高光催化效率。另外,这些表面改性策略的协同效应仍是较有前景的TiO2纳米光催化剂改性技术,值得深入研究。同时,深入的光催化分子机理探索仍然是必须的,其不仅有助于发现影响TiO2纳米材料光催化活性提高的关键性制约因素,而且也可以指导开发新型的TiO2纳米光催化剂改性技术。总而言之,通过总结TiO2纳米材料在光催化、表面化学及表面改性等方面的重要进展,可为设计高效的TiO2基及非TiO2基光催化剂并应用于太阳燃料生产、环境修复、有机合成及相关的领域(如太阳能电池、热催、分离和纯化)等提供新的思路。     

Experimental microkinetic approach of the photocatalytic oxidation of isopropyl alcohol on TiO2. Part 1. Surface elementary steps involving gaseous and adsorbed C3H(x)O species

The present study concerns an experimental microkinetic approach of the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) into acetone on a pure anatase TiO2 solid according to a procedure previously developed. Mainly, the kinetic parameters of each surface elementary step of a plausible kinetic model of PCO of IPA are experimentally determined: natures and amounts of the adsorbed species and rate constants (preexponential factor and activation energy). The kinetics parameters are obtained by using experiments in the transient regime with either a FTIR or a mass spectrometer as a detector. The deep oxidation (CO2 and H2O formation) of low concentrations of organic pollutants in air is one of the interests of the PCO. For IPA, literature data strongly suggest that acetone is the single route to CO2 and H2O and this explains that the present study is dedicated to the elementary steps involving gaseous and adsorbed C3H(x)O species. The microkinetic study shows that strongly adsorbed IPA species (two species denoted nd-IPA(sads) and d-IPA(sads) due to non- and dissociative chemisorption of IPA, respectively) are involved in the PCO of IPA. A strong competitive chemisorption between IPA(sads) and a strongly adsorbed acetone species controls the high selectivity in acetone of the PCO at a high coverage of the surface by IPA(sads). The kinetic parameters of the elementary steps determined in the present study are used in part 2 to provide a modeling of macroscopic kinetic data such as the turnover frequency (TOF in s(-1)) of the PCO using IPA/O2 gas mixtures.     

Determining enediol compounds in tea using surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry with titanium dioxide nanoparticle matrices

We describe the use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) as selective probes and matrices for the determination of catechins using surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS). The interactions between the enediol compounds and TiO2 NPs were evident by the change in color of the TiO2 NP solution from milky white to orange. Through these interactions, the TiO2 NPs could be used to concentrate enediol compounds, including catechins and ascorbic acid. The limits of detection (LODs) for three catechins--catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate--at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 0.45, 1.85 and 0.65 microM, respectively. The TiO2 NP matrices provide a number of advantages over conventional organic matrices (e.g. 2',4',6'-trihydroxyacetophenone), including ease of sample preparation, less background noise in the low-mass region, and high repeatability. The applicability of this method was confirmed through the high reproducibility of the determination of the two catechins in tea samples that had not been subjected to any sample preparation procedures (shot-to-shot variation: <10%).     

Effect of disorder on the optically amplified photocatalytic efficiency of titania inverse opals

Optically amplified photochemistry with slow photons has been realized in our previous work when a photoactive material such as TiO(2) was molded into a photonic crystal and the corresponding energy of photonic bands overlapped with the electronic excitation. While numerous applications of photonic crystals have been proposed, the real practicality depends on the extent of structural imperfection that can be tolerated before significant deterioration in the optical response deems it unrealistic to use. As a result, it is important to evaluate the amount of structural disorder that can be tolerated in inverse TiO(2) opals if they are to be used as amplified photocatalysts for photolytic degradation of organics in environmental remediation and water purification. We present a systematic study on the effect of disorder with relation to the photocatalytic efficiency of oxidizing methylene blue dye adsorbed on inverse TiO(2) opals by introducing different fractions and sizes of guest spheres into the opal template. Our results show that half of the enhancement originally achieved by the inverse opal made from monodispersed 150-nm spheres is conserved when the domain size of the host spheres remains above a critical threshold. The substitution fraction can be as high as 0.4 when the guest spheres are 1.2 times larger than the host spheres. Such a high tolerance to structural disorder provides strong support for the potential use of inverse TiO(2) opals in environmental cleanup and water treatment applications.