Enhancement of the TiO2 photoactivity for propene oxidation by carbon incorporation using saccharose in hydrothermal synthesis

Abstract TiO2-C photocatalysts were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using titanium tetraisopropoxide, saccharose and HCl of variable concentration. The have textural properties similar to those analogous bare TiO2 samples, but different crystalline phase composition; they only contain anatase instead an anatase-brookite-rutile mixture in TiO2. This reveals that carbon contributes the stabilization anatase. Also, presence has shown favor spherical morphology. are more active than ones P25. most efficient with lower concentration solutions, 0.5 0.8 M, which present higher surface area density hydroxyl groups. Carbon, about 0.3–0.7 wt%, seems be (partially) incorporated into lattice it likely leads low electron-hole recombination rate emission processes could contribute explain good activity samples.