Characterization of Agglomerated Nanosized Titanium(IV) Oxide Prepared by Two Pathways and Their Performance Toward Cu(II) Adsorption

ABSTRACT Two different TiO2 particles with nanodimensions were prepared by sol-gel (TO-S) and low temperature chemical precipitation method (TO-P) from a TiCl4 precursor. As a result, the TO-S preparation was according to the “green chemistry” method because it did not involve any toxic or hazardous by-products. The average size of the nanoparticles of TO-S and TO-P were 27 and 12 nm, respectively. Agglomerates of these nanodimensional particles should have high surface area and can be useful for adsorptive removal of toxic species from aqueous solutions. Higher Cu(II) adsorption capacity of TO-P than TO-S may be attributed to the hydrated nature of the former material.