Visible light-activated yellow titanate nanotubes (TNTs) modified by peroxo groups were directly synthesized via a facile chemical reaction route using peroxo titanium complex ions as a precursor. Obtained peroxo-modified TNTs (PTNTs) possessed a cylindrical-shaped tubular morphology with an outer diameter of approximately 10 nm. The peroxo titanium functional group (Ti-O-O) was formed between the interlayers of the lepidocrocite-type titanate crystal that was the base structure of TNTs, with the interlayer distance estimated at approximately 10.02 Å. The formation of the peroxo functional groups reduced the electron density adjacent to the titanium atom, raising the valence band to 1.35 eV and forming a band gap of 2.50 eV, which is lower than that of TNTs (3.19 eV). In addition, the peroxo titanium functional group had a negative potential, which increased the chemical adsorption performances with positively charged rhodamine B molecules in water. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic investigation indicated that the PTNTs have enhanced the photocatalytic performance for RhB decolorization under visible light irradiating in comparison with TNTs. These findings show not only the improvement in the photocatalytic performance but also the potential of processing design by selecting the precursor with arbitrary characteristics.
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