Hydrothermal/solvothermal synthesis and treatment of TiO2 for photocatalytic degradation of air pollutants: Preparation, characterization, properties, and performance.

Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) is a well-known technology for air purification and has been extensively studied for removal of many air pollutants. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most investigated photocatalyst in the field of environmental remediation owed to its chemical stability, non-toxicity, and suitable positions of valence and conduction bands. Various preparation techniques including sol-gel, flame hydrolysis, water-in-oil microemulsion, chemical vapour deposition, solvothermal, and hydrothermal have been employed to obtain TiO2 materials. Hydro-/Solvothermal (HST) synthesis, focus of the present work, can be defined as a preparation method in which crystal growth occurs in a solvent at relatively low temperature (<200 °C) and above atmospheric pressure. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and critical review of current knowledge regarding the application of HST synthesis for fabrication of TiO2 nanostructures for indoor air purification. TiO2 nanostructures are categorized from the morphological standpoint (e.g. nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanosheets, and hierarchically porous) and discussed in detail. The influence of preparation parameters including hydrothermal time, temperature, pH of the reaction medium, solvent, and calcination temperature on physical, chemical, and optical properties of TiO2 is reviewed. Considering the complex interplay among catalyst properties, a special emphasis is placed on elucidating the interconnection between various photocatalyst features and their impacts on photocatalytic activity.