DEVELOPMENT OF TiO2 NANOTUBES VIA ANODIZATION FOR DEGRADATION OF METHYL ORANGE

Abstract

TiO2 nanotubes were prepared by anodization of titanium foil (Ti) in an electrochemical bath consisiting fluorinated ethylene glycol/glycerol organic solvents. The pH of the bath was kept constant at pH~7 and the anodization time was varied (1, 15, 20, 30 and 60 min) to study the formation of well ordered TiO2 nanotubes. The crystal structure was studied by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis, and the morphology was observed via Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The average tube diameter and tube length was found to be increase with increasing anodization time. Crystallization of the nanotubes to anatase phase occurred at 300 °C while rutile formation occurred at 600 °C. Sintegration of the nanotube arrays was observed at 700 °C. Photocatalytic activity of the nanotubes produced in different annealing temperature was also evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange. The detail of the observation is discussed thoroughly in this paper