Photocatalytic Properties of Silver Core/Titania Shell Nano-Wires Grown on a Glass Substrate Using a Glycothermal...

A silver core/titania shell nano-wire film was successfully prepared on a glass substrate via a glycothermal process that was assisted by a photochemical reaction using tetra-n-butyl titanate as the titanium source and silver nitrate as the silver source in an autoclave with ethylene glycol as a solvent. The morphology, diameter, length, and density of the core/shell nano-wires that were synthesized could be varied by changing the silver/titanium molar ratio of the starting materials. The samples produced were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the silver core/titania shell nano-wire film was investigated by measuring the photodegradation rate of rhodamine B in aqueous solution.