Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry | 2021
Concise Synthesis of Silver-Containing Titania Xerogels
Abstract
A concise procedure was developed for the synthesis of silver-containing xerogels Ag(0)/TiO2 [0.2–3.2 wt % Ag(0)], including the dissolution of AgNO3 in tetrabutoxytitanium, hydrolysis of the solution in acetic acid–water vapors, drying, and calcining the xerogel at 600–800°C. It was found by X-ray diffraction analysis and electron microscopy that the bulk of metallic silver particles (75–90%) in the material calcined at 800°C has a size of 25–45 nm. The fraction of particles (in the form of crystal intergrowths) with a diameter of 95–115 nm rises with an increase in the AgNO3 concentration at the dissolution stage; TiO2 is present in the rutile phase. At a calcination temperature of 600°C, the dominant TiO2 phase (72%) is anatase; in this case the size of silver particles is 5–10 nm.