Preparation and characteristics of high performance paper containing titanium dioxide photocatalyst supported on inorganic fiber matrix

A novel paper-based material containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalyst was successfully prepared by a papermaking technique with the internal addition of inorganic fibers on which TiO2 particles were supported. Photodegradation performance of acetaldehyde gas, an indoor pollutant, and the durability of the TiO2-containing papers were investigated under UV irradiation. Ceramic fiber suspension and polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride as a cationic flocculant were mixed, followed by the addition of TiO2 suspension and anionic polyacrylamide. Subsequently, the inorganic mixture was poured into a pulp suspension, and TiO2 handsheets then prepared by a papermaking method. The tensile strength of TiO2-containing paper without a ceramic carrier decreased by more than 30% after 240-h UV irradiation (2 mW/cm(2)), although the strength of the TiO2 sheet with ceramic fibers remained reasonably stable. The efficiency of acetaldehyde decomposition by the TiO2 paper containing an inorganic carrier was nearly equal to that of the carrier-free TiO2 paper. Scanning electron microscopic observation suggested that most TiO2 particles were predominantly supported on the inorganic fiber matrix, and were mostly out of contact with organic pulp fibers. The TiO2 paper with an inorganic carrier demonstrated both excellent photocatalytic performance and durability, which before had been mutually incompatible for organic materials containing TiO2 photocatalyst. The two-stage mixing procedure for TiO2 sheet-making is promising for the simple manufacture of high performance paper with photocatalytic ability. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.