Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Properties of Lithium Titanate Nanorods

Lithium titanate nanorods have been synthesized via the hydrothermal process using lithium acetate, titanium butoxide and ethylenediamine as raw materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that lithium titanate nanorods are composed of orthorhombic Li 2 Ti 3 O 7 phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the diameter and the length of lithium titanate nanorods are about 40–150 nm and 1 μm, respectively. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum indicates that the bandgap of the lithium titanate nanorods is 3.63 eV. Ethylenediamine plays an essential role in the formation of lithium titanate nanorods. Ethylenediamine-assisted nucleation and crystalline growth process have been proposed to explain the formation and growth of lithium titanate nanorods. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye over the lithium titanate nanorods has been investigated under UV-Vis light irradiation. MB solution with the initial concentration of 2.5 mgL-1 can be degraded totally using 10 mg lithium titanate nanorods in 10 mL MB solution.