Enhanced photocatalytic performance of mesoporous TiO{sub 2} coated SBA-15 nanocomposites fabricated through a novel approach: supercritical deposition aided by liquid-crystal template

Journal Article · Tue Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Materials Research Bulletin

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATERRESBULL.2015.10.052· OSTI ID:22581459

Liu, Chen; Lin, Xiao; Li, Youji; Xu, Peng; Li, Ming; Chen, Feitai

Highlights: • Highly uniform mesoporous TiO{sub 2} nanopartices were coated SBA-15. • MT showed smaller crystallite size, higher hydroxyl content and surface area. • MT/SBA-15 show enhanced photocatalytic activity and high reused activity. • The optimum MT loading rate and calcination temperature were obtained to be 15% and 400 °C, respectively. • Photocatalytic behaviors are discussed in terms of the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. - Abstract: Mesoporous TiO2 coated SBA-15 (MT@S) nanocomposites were fabricated through supercritical CO{sub 2} deposition aided by liquid-crystal template. The as-prepared samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and so on. The results reveal that MT uniformly deposited onto silica with titania incorporated in SBA-15 channels, showed smaller crystallite size, higher hydroxyl content and surface area than nonporous TiO{sub 2} coated SBA-15 (NT@S) obtained by a similar route without template. With TiO{sub 2} loading ratio of 15 wt% and calcination temperature of 400 °C, 15%MT@S-400 showed the enhanced degradation efficiency for azo dyes (methylene blue, methyl orange, and rhodamine B) and phenol in comparsion with 15%NT@S-400, due to those improved textural and physicochemical properties. Meanwhile, the reused MT@S also showed high photoactivity. Additionally, the effects of MT content and calcination temperature have been examined as operational parameters. Photocatalytic reactions followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and are discussed in terms of the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model.

• OSTI ID: 22581459
• Journal Information: Materials Research Bulletin, Vol. 75; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2015 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0025-5408
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CALCINATION
CARBON DIOXIDE
HYDROXIDES
LIQUID CRYSTALS
METHYL ORANGE
METHYLENE BLUE
NANOCOMPOSITES
NANOSTRUCTURES
PHENOL
PHOTOCATALYSIS
RHODAMINES
SOL-GEL PROCESS
SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE
SURFACE AREA
TITANIUM OXIDES
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY