Synthesis of highly active thin film based on TiO2 nanomaterial for self-cleaning application

Highly active TiO2 self-cleaning thin film with porous structure and hybrid morphology was prepared from hydrothermally treated TiO2 nanomaterials for 24h at 200°C followed by calcinations at 450°C in air. •Highly active TiO2 self-cleaning surfaces were synthesized by hydrothermal method.•The hydrothermal treatments modified the photo-oxidative properties of TiO2.•The modified TiO2 nanomaterial was applied as a self-cleaning. Highly active self-cleaning surfaces were prepared from hydrothermally treated TiO2 nanomaterials for different times (0, 12, 24 and 36h) under acidic condition. TiO2 thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). TiO2 thin film (hydrothermal 24h) exhibited hybrid morphology from accumulated plates, clusters, rods and spheres. The photo self-cleaning activity in term of quantitative determination of the active oxidative species (OH) produced on the thin film surfaces was evaluated using fluorescent probe method. The results show that, the highly active thin film is the hydrothermally treated for 24h at 200°C. The structural, morphology and photoactivity properties of nano-TiO2 thin films make it promising surfaces for self-cleaning application. Mineralization of commercial textile dye (Remazol Red RB-133, RR) from highly active TiO2 thin film surface was applied. Moreover, the durability of this nano-TiO2 thin film (hydrothermal 24h) was studied