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Synthesis of Mesoporous TiO 2 /SiO 2 Hybrid Films as an Efficient Photocatalyst by Polymeric Micelle Assembly
Author(s) -
Li Yunqi,
Bastakoti Bishnu Prasad,
Imura Masataka,
Hwang Soo Min,
Sun Ziqi,
Kim Jung Ho,
Dou Shi Xue,
Yamauchi Yusuke
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201304689
Subject(s) - mesoporous material , photocatalysis , micelle , materials science , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , chemistry , catalysis , organic chemistry , aqueous solution , engineering
Thermally stable mesoporous TiO 2 /SiO 2 hybrid films with pore size of 50 nm have been synthesized by adopting the polymeric micelle‐assembly method. A triblock copolymer, poly(styrene‐ b ‐2‐vinyl pyridine‐ b ‐ethylene oxide), which serves as a template for the mesopores, was utilized to form polymeric micelles. The effective interaction of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with the polymeric micelles enabled us to fabricate stable mesoporous films. By changing the molar ratio of TEOS and TTIP, several mesoporous TiO 2 /SiO 2 hybrid films with different compositions can be synthesized. The presence of amorphous SiO 2 phase effectively retards the growth of anatase TiO 2 crystal in the pore walls and retains the original mesoporous structure, even at higher temperature (650 °C). These TiO 2 /SiO 2 hybrid films are of very high quality, without any cracks or voids. The addition of SiO 2 phase to mesoporous TiO 2 films not only adsorbs more organic dyes, but also significantly enhances the photocatalytic activity compared to mesoporous pure TiO 2 film without SiO 2 phase.