2013 Volume 121 Issue 1420 Pages 999-1003
In this study, we have investigated the effects of heat-treatment condition and SiO2 addition on the crystallization behavior and chemical durability of TiO2–ZnO–B2O3–Al2O3 (TZBA) glass. Systematic analysis indicated that not only the precipitated phases (rutile, anatase, and brookite) after crystallization but also the chemical durability of TZBA glass-ceramics were affected by heat-treatment condition and SiO2 addition. In a specific glass composition, we have found that etching resulted in TiO2 grains of several dozen nanometers and asperity of several hundred nanometers at the sample surface. The present method, in which the increase of specific surface area and formation of nanoparticles at the surface is achieved by chemical etching, will become an important technique for the fabrication of novel bulk photocatalysts with high catalytic activity.