文章基本信息

标题：Innovative three-dimensional (3D) eco-TiO₂ photocatalysts for practical environmental and bio-medical applications
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作者：Hyun Uk Lee ; Soon Chang Lee ; Young-Chul Lee 等
期刊名称：Scientific Reports
电子版ISSN：2045-2322
出版年度：2014
卷号：4
DOI：10.1038/srep06740
出版社：Springer Nature
摘要：It is known that water purified by conventional TiO₂ photocatalysts may not be safe enough for drinking, due to the toxicity by tiny existence of TiO₂ nanoparticles after water treatment. We herein demonstrate a facile design of a three-dimensional (3D) TiO₂ photocatalyst structure with which both the efficiency of purification and the safety level of the final purified water can be improved and ensured, respectively. The structure, consisting of 3D sulfur-doped TiO₂ microtubes in nanotubes ( eco -TiO₂), is suitable for both environmental and bio-medical applications. Investigation of its formation mechanism reveals that anodic aluminum oxide (AAO), owing to a spatial constraint, causes a simple, nanoparticles-to-nanotubes structural rearrangement as a template for nanotube growth. It is found that eco -TiO₂ can be activated under visible-light irradiation by non-metal (sulfur; S) doping, after which it shows visible-light photocatalytic activities over a range of solar energy. Importantly, an in vitro cytotoxicity test of well-purified water by eco -TiO₂ confirms that eco -TiO₂ satisfies the key human safety conditions.