Hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic properties of layered La_2Ti_2O_7 nanosheets

摘要

Layered La_2Ti_2O_7 nanosheets were prepared through a one-step hydrothermal method at low temperature. The concentration of NaOH mineralizer plays an important role in the synthesis. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that the thickness of every nanosheet is about 5-10 nm, while the planar dimension is more than 1 mu m. The photo-catalytic activities of the nanosheets were characterized by the decolourization of methyl orange solution and the evolution rate of H_2. The results demonstrated that the La_2Ti_2O_7 nanosheets possess significantly improved photocatalytic properties in water purification and evolution rate of H_2 from water-ethanol solution compared with those of samples prepared by conventional solid-state reaction.