Preparation of porous nano-titania and its photocatalytic property for the degradation of rhodamine B

The porous nano-titania powder samples were prepared by sol-gel method using polyethylene glycol as a pore-forming material, and then the samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption test and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results showed that many meso-porous structures with 4-6 nm diameters were formed in titania particles because of the decomposition of polyethylene glycol during the calcination process. The samples calcined at 600°C all presented anatase structure, and the growth of crystal size of titania could be restrained because of the addition of polyethylene glycol. Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B showed that the nano-titaniat has strong oxidation ability. Adding an appropriate amount of polyethylene glycol could improve the photocatalytic properties of titania. The optimal amount of polyethylene glycol was 0.50 g in our experimental conditions.