ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Effect of CeO2 and Sb2O3 on the phase transformation and optical properties of photostable titanium dioxide

Marta Gleń, Barbara Grzmil, Joanna Sreńscek-Nazzal, and Bogumił Kic

Institute of Chemical and Environment Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, ul. Pułaskiego 10, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland

E-mail: mglen@zut.edu.pl

Abstract: In the present work, the effect of individual additives calculated as molar fractions of Sb₂O₃ and CeO₂ (x _{Sb 2}O₃ range: 0.03–0.08 %, x _{CeO 2} range: 0.05–0.14 %), on the phase composition, phase transformation, and optical properties of photostable rutile titanium dioxide was studied using selective leaching method, ICP-AES technique, XRD method, spectrophotometric analysis and S _BET measurements. The starting material was hydrated titanium dioxide. It was observed that the addition of Sb₂O₃ to TiO₂ did not influence the anatase-rutile phase transformation, but increasing the CeO₂ addition caused a decrease in the rutilization degree. Thus, CeO₂ acted as an inhibitor of the TiO₂ phase transformation. Sb₂O₃ addition to TiO₂ presumably caused the formation of a co-phase of Sb with Ti. Cerium formed a separate phase, CeO₂, and reacted partly with titanium, probably creating co-phase, Ce_0.8Ti_0.2O₂. Comparing the colour of modified rutile titanium dioxide according to the type of the additive introduced, it was found that TiO₂ with CeO₂ had higher brightness but lower white tone values when compared with TiO₂ modified with Sb₂O₃. The relative lightening power and grey tone of the modified TiO₂ were higher in TiO₂ modified with Sb₂O₃. The values of the photocatalytic activity measured in all TiO₂ samples modified either with Sb₂O₃ or CeO₂ were very similar and varied around the value of 21.

Keywords: titanium dioxide – modification – phase composition – rutile – optical properties – photostability

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-010-0103-x

Chemical Papers 65 (2) 203–212 (2011)