Mesoporous Molecular Sieve Derived TiO₂ Nanofibers Doped with SnO₂

Abstract

Mesoporous silica spheres were used as templates to prepare 5 to ∼10 nm Sn doped TiO₂ (TDT) nanofibers\nusing SnCl₄ and TiCl₄ as precursors. The as-made nanofibers were crystalline anatase but transformed into\nthe rutile phase after annealing above 700 °C. The Sn dopant amount in the TDT nanofibers can be controlled\nby changing the molar ratio of SnCl₄ to TiCl₄. The dopant Sn atoms were incorporated into the anatase lattice\nat a level of ∼15%. The photodegradation of various dyes was catalyzed by the TDT nanofibers and was\nshown to be more effective than P25 and the undoped TiO₂ nanofibers.