Characterization of Hydrogen Titania Nanotubes Synthesized via Hydrothermal Treatment

Hydrogen Titania nanotubes synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of crystalline titania particles with concentrated NaOH aqueous solution at 120 οC for 20 hr followed by ion-exchange. The morphology and crystalline structure of nanotubes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Raman, FTIR and BET techniques were examined, too. The results confirm the presence of Sodium are located between titanate layers which it has significant role in preserving tubular structure and thermal stability. In addition, it was found that the fabricated nanotubes provides higher specific surface areas (348 m2/gr) and pore volume (1.03 cm3/gr) more than precursor by factors of about 7 and 4 respectively. Consequently, according to titania surface structure that exhibits lewis acidity along with photocatalytic properties, hydrogen titania nanotube seems to be the more practicable in photocatalyst processes