Preparation and characterization of [60] fullerene nanoparticles supported on titania used as a photocatalyst

f[60] Fullerene is a promising deposit for decreasing the rate of the 'electron-hole' recombination's occurring in the context of the photooxidation of pollutants and the photocatalytic splitting of water. We have demonstrated that simple or successive incipient wetness impregnation followed by heating at 180 degrees C is a simple and efficient method for dispersing effectively various amounts of C-60 (in the range 1-4%, w/w) on the titania surface used in photocatalysis. The photocatalysts prepared were characterized using BET, XRD, DRS, and microelectrophoresis. The supported C-60 nanoparticles, comprised from 13 to 215 C-60 molecules, have mean radius ranged between 0.8 and 3.1 nm which increases with the C-60 loading of the sample. The supported phase was proved to be quite stable against sublimation/combustion. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.