Photocatalytic activity of TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposites applied to buildings : Influence of particle size and loading

Pinho, L. and Mosquera, M.J. (2013) Photocatalytic activity of TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposites applied to buildings : Influence of particle size and loading. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 134-13. pp. 205-221. ISSN 0926-3373

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Abstract

Atmospheric pollution has an evidently adverse impact on the esthetics of urban buildings and structures. Thus, the synthesis of photocatalysts capable of removing pollutants deposited on the surface of stone and other building materials is a challenge to researchers. By a simple and low cost process we have synthesized mesoporous TiO2–SiO2 photocatalytic coatings that meet the requirements of outdoor application. These are new materials designed to give to the building material long-term self-cleaning and strengthening properties. We have varied the loading and size of TiO2 nanoparticles in order to investigate their effect on the photocatalytic activity. We find that the integration of larger and sharper titania particles in a silica network with a titania content of around 4% (w/v) significantly improves self-cleaning effectiveness, due to the enhanced availability of surface photoactive sites. For a higher TiO2 content (10%, w/v), photocatalytic action decreases because the porous volume is drastically reduced and consequently, access to photoactive sites is more difficult.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2300
Subjects:
?? tio2 photocatalystmesoporous sio2 supportsurfactant-synthesized materialself-cleaning propertiesbuilding materialsoutdoor applicationsgeneral environmental sciencecatalysisprocess chemistry and technologyenvironmental science(all) ??
ID Code:
151776
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
17 Feb 2021 12:03
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
16 Jul 2024 11:35