Three-dimensional
(3D) hollow box TiO2 nanocrystals
with structural diversity have been designed and grown by four nucleation
methods, including the acid dissolution denucleation method with Fe2O3 as heterogeneous nucleation, the topological
phase transition method, the sonic solvothermal method, and the air
atmosphere sintering method with TiOF2 as homogeneous nucleation.
Through full morphology analysis and structural characterization,
reasonable growth mechanisms of 3D hollow box TiO2 nanocrystals
were proposed, including nucleation dissolution, Oswald ripening,
and hydrolysis reactions. It was found that the high energy (001)
crystal facets exposure ratio was closely correlated with reaction
temperature of four nucleation-methods, which even reached 92% for
the first time. Under simulated sunlight irradiation, their hydrogen
production performance and photocatalytic degradation efficiency on
model dye molecules rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) were
evaluated, and as-prepared hollow box TiO2 nanocrystals
prepared by the sonic solvothermal method exhibited the best photocatalytic
performance, with a hydrogen production rate of 93.88 μmol/g/h.
Within 70 min, the photocatalytic degradation rates of RhB and MB
reached 96.59 and 75.25%, respectively, which were 5.74 and 5.54 times
that of P25. Their properties are closely connected with the orderly
cubic and hierarchy configuration structure of hollow box TiO2 nanocrystals, which have a high exposure ratio of (001) facet
controlled by reaction temperatures, thereby greatly improving the
photocatalytic activity. This study provides a classic reference for
improving the properties of hollow box TiO2 nanocrystals
through structural diversity design and various methods of nanocrystal
growth.