Facile one-pot solvothermal approach to produce inorganic hybrid TiO2@CoTiO3 green nano-pigment: structural, optical and photocatalytic properties

ABSTARCTHerein, we report the synthesis of TiO2@CoTiO3 green nano-pigment by means of simple one-pot solvothermal process. The adapted solvothermal protocol involves the use of (Cobalt(II) nitrate, Titanium(IV) butoxide) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as metals precursors and solvent respectively. A thermal treatment is necessary to produce high crystalline structure. The ideal calcination temperature was established to 600 °C in which the hybrid nanocomposite was completely crystalized. The obtained powder is green, characteristic color of cobalt titanate (CoTiO3) pigment. This structure was further confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) technique. On the other hand, the morphology of the designed material was observed via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The prepared TiO2@CoTiO3 shows interesting optical properties in both UV and visible domains, which make it a promising photocatalyst under solar energy. The preliminary photocatalytic test against Methylene Blue (MB) prove high efficiency of the hybrid TiO2@CoTiO3 compared to pristine TiO2 probably due to the extension of the absorption region from UV (pristine TiO2) to UV/Visible region (hybrid material).