In this study, L-hydroxyproline-functionalized anatase TiO2 nanorods were prepared by a nonaqueous sol-gel route at 80°C. The resulting samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, HRTEM, XPS, nitrogen adsorption, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The presence of L-hydroxyproline on the TiO2 surface was confirmed by the analysis of FT-IR and 13C NMR. It was found that the functionalization of L-hydroxyproline could significantly enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 on the degradation of rhodamine B in aqueous solution under simulated solar light. The reasons for photocatalytic...
