LAUSR

Al-TiO2 nanotubes having an Al/Ti molar ratio of 0.38 were prepared using a sol-gel derived electrospinning and subsequent calcination at intervals of 50 °C from 500 to 650 °C to investigate the effect of calcination temperature on the crystal structure and the photocatalytic activity of methylene blue (MB). XRD results revealed that the Al-TiO2 nanotubes were composed of anatase (45~46%) and rutile (53~55%). The Barrette-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and the degradation kinetic constant increased dramatically from 151 to 226 m2/g and from 2.0 × 10−2 min−1 to 6.3 × 10−2 min−1, respectively. The Al-TiO2 nanotubes calcined above 600 °C exhibited enhanced MB degradation (100%) compared to that of the TiO2 nanotubes (27%) mainly due to the larger BET area.