In this study nanocrystalline TiO2 was synthesized by a sol-gel process. The effect of praseodymium (Pr) doping and calcination conditions on the textural properties of nano structured particles and photocatalytic activity were examined. Samples were synthesized by hydrolyzation of titanium tetra iso-propoxide (TTIP) and calcination at different temperatures. Characterizations of the samples were carried out using XRD, BET, XPS, TEM, and EDAX analyses. It was observed that anatase to rutile transformation is favored by higher calcination temperatures. The XRD analysis indicated that the anatase structure is stabilized by Pr doping and rutile phase formation at higher calcination temperatures is inhibited by the addition of Pr. It was also observed that Pr doping enhances the surface area and inhibit crystal growth. Phase stabilization effect of Pr doping was also confirmed by XPS results. EDAX analysis revealed that Pr is dispersed atomically in the crystal structure. The Photoluminescence analysis by 325 nm excitation indicated the emissions at 608 and 621 nm which can be attributed by photon up-conversion. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were measured by methylene blue degradation and phenol mineralization reactions. The photocatalytic activities of the Pr doped samples were also found higher than undoped TiO2 samples.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:METU/oai:etd.lib.metu.edu.tr:http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12615056/index.pdf |
| Date | 01 October 2012 |
| Creators | Dogu, Doruk |
| Contributors | Karakas, Gurkan |
| Publisher | METU |
| Source Sets | Middle East Technical Univ. |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Ph.D. Thesis |
| Format | text/pdf |
| Rights | To liberate the content for public access |
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