Synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticle loaded mesoporous TiO₂ nanobelts

The article reports on template-free preparation of Ag nanoparticle loaded mesoporous TiO₂ nanobelts that were produced via hydrothermal synthesis and post-treatment. The morphology and crystalline structure of the nanobelts are characterized in detail with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface area measurements etc and strongly depend on the pH values of washing solution and annealing temperature. A mechanism for the mesoporous TiO₂ nanobelts transformation is also proposed, which involves nanobelts formation during solvent thermal process, and the nanopores generation by subsequent ionic exchange and dehydration under high temperature. The advantage of this strategy is massive production of the mesoporous TiO₂ nanobelts at low cost compared with the existing methods. Ag particles can be absorbed onto mesoporous nanobelts in high density to produce stable Ag/TiO₂ nanobelt composites which holds application potentials in photocatalysis and photoelectronics.