Composite sol-gel process for photocatalytic titanium dioxide.

摘要

Photocatalytic TiO2 decomposes organic and inorganic pollutants upon irradiation with UV light. TiO2 thin films and powder suspensions are used for purification treatments, but small surface area of TiO2 films, and difficult filtration of powders are the two major drawbacks in application of photocatalytic TiO2.; The major objective of this work was to develop a novel process to combine the thin film coatings and the fine (sub-micron) powder anatase TiO2 to provide high photocatalytic efficiency thick films and self-supported membranes. The microstructural properties and photocatalytic efficiency of the developed materials were characterized and compared with that of the conventional TiO2 coatings and powders. Photocatalytic activity of CSG TiO 2 was measured through the ability to decompose organic compounds (trichloroethane, dioxane, toluene), as well as to destroy bacteria. The major achievement of this work is the development of a process wherein structurally sound, thick films and membranes of CSG anatase photocatalytic TiO2 can be produced in reproducible way. A novel method for the synthesis of monodispersed anatase TiO2 microspheres through colloidal precipitation has also been established. The microspheres were used as filler TiO2 in the composite microstructure, bonded with sot-gel derived TiO2, to produce the composite sol-gel (CSG) TiO2. A sol-gel-assisted sintering model for the CSG thick films and self-supported membranes was established and validated by experimental data. The model has the ability to predict the sintering behavior of the CSG-TiO2, in terms of the reduction of specific surface area versus the time of heating, particularly at the initial and intermediate stages of the sintering.