Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity of nanotitania loaded W-MCM-41

Nanocrystalline titanium oxide (TiO2) is a promising material as a photocatalyst for photodecomposition of hazardous organic pollutants under illumination, because it is cheap, safe, environmentally benign, and chemically stable. However, the control of particle size and monodispersity of TiO2 is a challenging task. The use of MCM-41, an inorganic template of uniform pore size (2-10 nm), can overcome this difficulty and produce stable nanoparticles of uniform size and shape. In an attempt to extend light absorption of the TiO2-based photocatalyst towards the visible light range and eliminate the rapid recombination of excited electrons/holes during photoreaction, a new photocatalyst (25% TiO2-loaded W-MCM-41) powder was prepared. W-MCM-41, with different ratios of Si to W (Si/W = 25, 50, 75), was synthesized by a hydrothermal method and loaded with 25 wt% TiO2 utilizing a sol-gel method. In order to compare the photocatalytic activity of our sample, titania- loaded plain MCM-41 was also prepared. These materials were characterized by various physiochemical techniques such as UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm measurement, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples was evaluated using methyl orange as a model organic compound. It was found that the photodegradation ability of 25% TiO2-loaded W-MCM-41 was highly related to the amount of W atoms present in the sample; the optimum atomic ratio of Si to W was 25. It has been confirmed that the recombination rate of electrons/holes in 25% TiO2/W-MCM-41 declined due to the existence of W atoms in the sample.