Photocatalysis of TiO2 Sheets Prepared by Templating Filter Paper

Titanium dioxide sheet photocatalysts composed of interwoven microstrips were successfully synthesized using filter paper as templates. The synthesized samples were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, surface area analyzer, thermogravimetric analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange in an aqueous solution under UV-illumination. The results demonstrated that the paper-like TiO₂ sheets with the optimum proportion of anatase/rutile (10/1) had the highest photoactivity. And the presence of the filter paper fiber can improve the crystallinity, raise the anatase-rutile transformation temperature and contribute to the formation of being paper-like. A detailed formation mechanism for TiO₂ sheets is proposed.