Effect of Preparation Conditions on Visible Photocatalytic Activity of Titania Synthesized by Solution Combustion Method^* * Supported by the Key Laboratory of Material-Oriented Chemical Engineering of Jiangsu Province and Ministry of Education.

Titania catalysts were synthesized by a solution combustion method (SCM). Photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) using the synthesized catalysts was studied under both visible light (λ ≥ 420nm) and sunlight irradiation. The effect of preparation conditions on photocatalytic activities of the synthesized catalysts was investigated. The optimal photocatalytic activity of the catalyst (denoted as A1) was obtained under the following synthesis conditions: ignition temperature of 350°C, fuel ratio (ø) of 1 and calcination time of 1h. The degradation and mineralization ratio of 4-CP were 78.2% and 53.7% respectively under visible light irradiation for 3h using catalyst A1. And the catalyst A1 also showed high photocatalytic activity under sunlight irradiation.