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Updated: Jan 19, 2026

Photopatterning Proteins and Cells in Aqueous Environment Using TiO2 Photocatalysis
Published on: October 26, 2015
Facet-dependent decoration of TiO2 mesocrystals on TiO2 microcrystals for enhanced photoactivity
1State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Bottom-up constructions of hierarchical TiO2 are effective to enhance their photoactivity towards degradations of organic pollutants. Thanks to highly active facets, {001} exposed anatase TiO2 microcrystals attract much attention in photocatalysis; yet their efficiency is limited by the large crystal size. Herein, we report a facile solution approach to deposit anatase TiO2 mesocrystals only on {101} facets of anatase TiO2 microcrystals. The selective surface decoration enhances the photoactivity through replacing the less active {101} facets with more active TiO2 mesocrystals; whilst the highly active {001} facets remain untouched. When utilized to assist photodegradation of phenol in water under UV light illumination, the hierarchical TiO2 exhibited a reaction rate constant doubled that of the pristine {001} exposed TiO2 microcrystals. The present tactic to selectively decorate TiO2 microcrystals may give hints to other applications involving facet-dependent properties.
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