Facile Synthesis of Titanium Dioxide Nanorods for Selective Deg-radation of Organic Pollutant in South African River Water

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) has emerged as a promising material for water treatment due to its excellent photocatalytic properties, high stability, and low toxicity. TiO₂-based materials hold great potential for addressing water pollution challenges and ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water. Sol-gel assisted hydrothermal method was employed to synthesize TiO₂. X-ray diffraction (XRD) structural investigation revealed lattice fringes in the crystalline phase of both rutile and anatase. UV-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis) findings indicate an optical absorption bandgap of 2.99 eV. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image reveals the development of a tightly packed cluster formed of nanorod aggregated nanoparticles of varying diameters. The High-Resolution Transition Electron Microscope (HRTEM) displays particle size distributions ranging from 30 to 90 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) spectrum assessment proves that TiO₂ with high purity was synthesized. Nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms follow the typical type IV isotherms found in mesoporous materials, with diameters ranging from 2.1 nm to 86.3 nm. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area was 84.7537 m²/g. Analysis of river surface water from Ezinambeni in South Africa's Mpumalanga region revealed that synthesized TiO₂ had significant photocatalytic activities when exposed to visible light irradiation..