Reddeppa Nadimicherla

Ultraviolet photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange by nanostructured TiO2/ZnO heterojunctions

Nanostructured TiO2/ZnO heterojunctions with the morphologies of hedgehogs and fan blades were synthesized by a solvothermal method and characterized by means of XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, FT-IR, Raman, XPS, UV-vis and PL diffuse reflection spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of both TiO2/ZnO hedgehogs and fan blades for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) were explored under UV light; the hedgehogs exhibited the best photocatalytic activity (97% MO degradation within 30 min) owing to the hierarchical nanostructure with a large surface area. The degradation mechanism is discussed based on the band structure. Both heterojunctions are very promising for the degradation of MO from organic dyestuff in engineering practice.

Cadmium removal in waste water by nanostructured TiO2 particles

Nanostructured TiO2 dandelions and spherical flowers with an anatase structure were synthesized by a solvothermal method, and characterized by means of XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, FT-IR, XPS and TG. The specific surface areas of the dandelions and spherical flowers were determined by BET to be 226 and 172 m2 g−1, respectively. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacities of Cd(II) for the dandelions and spherical flowers were found to be 396 and 282 mg g−1, respectively, and both nanostructured TiO2 particles could be repeatedly used without any remarkable loss in adsorption capacity. The FT-IR, XPS and TG-MS analyses indicated that the Cd(II) adsorption was mainly ascribed to the hydroxyl groups on the TiO2 surfaces. Both nanostructured particles exhibited great potential for the removal of Cd(II) from wastewater in engineering practices.

Morphology engineering of nanostructured TiO2 particles

Nanostructured TiO2 particles with various morphologies play an important role in photoelectricity and photocatalysis. In this work, we demonstrate how to tune the morphologies of TiO2 particles. TiO2 particles with well defined morphologies, for example, spherical flower, thatch, cauliflower, nanocube and octahedral were synthesized by a solvothermal route. This was realized by the effective control of the alcoholysis rate of TiF4 and the prevention of the aggregation through optimizing the pressure, composition and pH value of the reaction solution. This work provides not only a strategy for controlling the morphology of TiO2 particles, but also a universal method that can be applied to the preparation of other nanomaterials.

Double dimensionally ordered nanostructures: toward a multifunctional reinforcing nanohybrid for epoxy resin

Monodisperse 0D nano-TiO2, namely a ball cactus, with a BET surface area of 280 m2 g−1 and a pore volume of 1.0 cm3 g−1 was firstly synthesized by a solvothermal method. A double dimensionally ordered nanostructure filler system consisting of a 0D ball cactus and 2D layered MMT was constructed. The comprehensive performance of TiO2/MMT/EP nanocomposites was examined. The properties of the corresponding TiO2/MMT/EP nanocomposites, including mechanical properties, thermal stabilities, dielectric properties and surface free energies strongly depended on the loading of the double dimensional nanofillers. Our results demonstrate the potential of double dimensional synergism of 0D TiO2/2D MMT as a multifunctional reinforcement in polymeric composites. These results help to elucidate the complex interactions between nanostructures and polymer matrices, and flexible control over this multi-dimensional synergies concept could contribute to the development of adaptable structural materials for advanced applications.