Annealing temperature effects on sol–gel nanostructured mesoporous TiO2/SiO2 and its photocatalytic activity

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2010.11.041Get rights and content
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Abstract

Mesoporous TiO2/SiO2 (5 wt% TiO2) was synthesized by the sol–gel method and thermally treated up to 1273 K. The materials obtained were characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, XRD, TEM, Raman and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopies. The results indicate the presence of thermally stable anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (∼20 nm) highly dispersed in the SiO2 matrix, with no evidence of particle growth for materials treated up to 1073 K. Important features related to the number of structural defects and short-distance ordering of TiO2 nanoparticles were found and they have a direct relationship with the photocatalytic performance of the materials. Higher photocatalytic activity toward methylene blue decolourisation was observed for solids annealed at higher temperatures.

Highlights

▶ Mesoporous TiO2/SiO2 synthesized by the sol–gel method and thermally treated. ▶ Thermally stable anatase TiO2 nanoparticles highly dispersed in the SiO2 matrix. ▶ Relations between number of structural defects and short-distance ordering of TiO2. ▶ Relationship of the photocatalytic performance with the structural features.

Keywords

Composite materials
Annealing
Raman spectroscopy and scattering
Defects

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