Nickel titanate microtubes constructed by nearly spherical nanoparticles: Preparation, characterization and properties

In this paper, we report the successful synthesis of NiTiO3 microtubes constructed by nearly spherical nanoparticles via a simple solution-combusting method employing a mixture of ethanol and ethyleneglycol (V/V = 60/40) as the solvent, nickel acetate as the nickel source, tetra-n-butyl titanate as the titanium source and oxygen gas in the atmosphere as the oxygen source. The as-obtained product was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). The UV-vis absorption spectrum of the product showed two absorption peaks centered at 258.6 and 350.1 nm, respectively. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the product was 14.06 m2/g and the pore size distribution mainly located from 20 to 30 nm. The photocatalytic degradation property of the product for organic dyes showed that the as-obtained porous NiTiO3 microtubes could strongly promote the degradation of organic dyes including Pyronine B, Safranine T and Fluorescein.