GROWTH OF TiO2 NANOPARTICLES BY PULSED LASER ABLATION (PLA) IN LIQUID MEDIA AND STUDY OF PHOTOCATALYTIC PROPERTIES
We synthesized TiO 2 nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation of titanium target immersed in an aqueous solution of surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or deionized water. The surfactant concentration dependence on size of TiO 2 nanoparticles was investigated. The maximum amount of nanoparticles (with mean size of 40 nm in diameter) was obtained in an aqueous solution of 0.001 M SDS. We have also studied the effect of laser wavelength on growth of TiO 2 nanoparticles. UV/visible spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy observations were employed for characterization of optical properties and particle sizes respectively. As TiO 2 is a famous photocatalyst, we have also done photocatalytic test by Methyl Orange under UV irradiation for prepared samples.