Photocatalytic Activity Enhancement of Anatase/Rutile-Mixed Phase TiO2 Nanoparticles Annealed with Low-Temperature O2 Plasma

Photodecomposition and photobactericidal activities of anatase/rutile-mixed phase TiO2 nanoparticles annealed with low-temperature O2 plasma were clarified by comparing them with those annealed in ambient air. The photocatalytic activities of plasma-assisted-annealed sample greatly enhanced as compared with the untreated sample, under not only ultraviolet irradiation but also visible-light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of air-annealed samples did not enhance under ultraviolet irradiation but enhanced under visible-light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activities due to the plasma-assisted annealing (PAA) originated from the increased photoexcited carrier concentration. This enhancement was discussed from PAA-induced characteristic factors. PAA facilitated the phase transformation to anatase, contributing directly to extending the photoexcited carrier lifetime. PAA introduced more oxygen vacancies, contributing to trapping more photogenerated electrons. PAA also introduced more bridging/terminal oxygen groups adsorbed on the surface, increasing the upward band-bending, the depletion layer width at the surface, and the charge transfer from rutile to anatase. These two introductions contributed to facilitating the separation of photoexcited carriers. Furthermore, PAA reduced the aggregate size of TiO2 nanoparticles formed on the surface, contributing to increasing optical absorptions. More reactive oxygen species produced from the bridging/terminal oxygen groups by the photoexcited carriers would also enhance the photocatalytic activities.