TITANIUM OXIDE AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE TITANIUM OXIDE

摘要

This invention provides titanium oxide, particularly a novel anatase type titanium oxide having a high photocatalytic activity as a photocatalyst, which is useful as an environmental clean-up material, for example, for use in removal of harmful substances, deodorization and decomposition of malodorous substances, antifouling, and sterilization, and a process for producing the anatase type titanium oxide. The titanium oxide is characterized in that the reflectance of light with a wavelength of 400 nm to 700 nm is not more than 80%. The production process of an anatase type titanium oxide is characterized in that titanium is oxidized with pulse plasma generated between titanium electrodes at less than 5 amperes in water. This titanium oxide has a thermal weight reduction of not more than 1.0% in a temperature range from 400°C to 800°C and preferably has an anatase structure or anatase and rutile structures.