Effect of calcination temperature on the properties and applications of bio extract mediated titania nano particles

Abstract In order to deal with the arising environmental issues across the globe at present nano particles with unique properties laid a benchmark in the name of nano catalysis. In this work the significance of calcination temperature on the thermal, electronic, structural and surface properties of a nano catalyst produced by sol–gel method using ultrasonic radiation against the disposal of toxic textile pollutants is studied in detail. The extract of tea leaves has been used as a bio-template during the synthesis to revise the crystallite size, surface area, optical absorption potential, and rate of agglomeration of nano sized grains by regulating their physico-chemical and surface properties. The influence of calcination in the transformation of single phased anatase titania to mixed phase anatase–rutile titania and the corresponding outcome in its photocatalytic activity employed in water treatment applications have been verified. The nano catalyst obtained is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transition electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunaueur Emmett Teller (BET) analysis, UV–Vis diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS-UV–Vis) etc. The mesoporosity of the particle was examined using Barrett Joyner Halenda (BJH) model. The enhanced photo catalytic efficiency (about 97.7%) of templated nano titania due to calcination is verified against Congo red, a textile dye under optimized conditions. The nano catalyst produced can be easily separated, recycled to support its economic feasibility.