Preparation and Characterization of Black Titanium by Chemical Reduction of TiO2 and its Photocatalytic Activity

Background: Monitoring of the chemical synthesis of black titanium. Objective: In this study, we prepared a black titanium nanomaterial by chemical reduction (NaBH4 treatment). Control of the black TiO2 nanomaterial synthesis followed by a thermal analysis from 100°C to 400°C under azote atmosphere is presented. We used a commercial dye, Reactive Bezactiv Yellow (RBY) degradation, to examine the photocatalytic activity of the black titanium. Methods: The thermal analysis of WT and a mixture of treated TiO2(WT+NaBH4) was examined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The obtained nanoparticle is analyzed by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), UV–visible spectrophotometry, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results: A deformation of the crystalline lattice is extended beyond the entire visible spectrum. The thermal property reveals that the black titanium is more stable than the white titanium, and BT indicated a more photocatalytic performance than WT. Conclusion: We have successfully synthesized black titanium via chemical reduction employing a synthesis of white titanium. The thermal analysis reveals that BT has a high resistance than WT that offers a promising opportunity for several photocatalytic applications.