Ceramic foam air filters with three-dimensional (3D) porous structures and high surface areas were coated with mesoporous TiO2 thin films by the reverse micellar method. The mesoporous TiO2 thin films efficiently photocatalytically degraded nitrogen oxide (NO). More than 92.5% of NO was degraded in a single pass for air filter samples containing different pore densities. The 3D porous structure of the ceramic air filters enhanced flow turbulence and mixing. This provided the catalytic system with excellent gas-dynamic properties, and sufficient contact between the reactant gas and catalyst surface. The higher pore density of the ceramic foam filters resulted in a higher photocatalytic rate. More adsorption sites for water vapor and the reactant and product gases improved the photocatalytic activity. The porous ceramic air filters coated with mesoporous TiO2 had large surface areas, and thus high photocatalytic activity. This overcame the common disadvantages associated with using powdered TiO2 photocatalysts on substrates. The 3D porous ceramic foam filters coated with mesoporous TiO2 thin films exhibited a higher photocatalytic degradation rate of NO in air than the same thin film deposited on flat ceramic tiles. No deactivation was observed. A consistently high NO degradation rate was obtained between reaction cycles for the TiO2-coated 3D porous ceramic filters.
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