Photocatalytic degradation of poly(ethylene oxide) and polyacrylamide

The photocatalytic degradation of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and polyacrylamide (PAM) was investigated using combustion synthesized nano-sized TiO2 catalyst (CSN-TiO2). The degradation was conducted with two different UV lamps of 125 and 80 W. Degradation of PEO was observed in both the cases, whereas PAM degraded only when exposed to lamp of higher power, even in the presence of catalyst. Gel permeation chromatography was used to determine the molecular weight distribution. Continuous distribution kinetics was applied to determine the kinetics of the photodegradation process. The degradation rate coefficients of the polymers in the presence of combustion synthesized TiO2 were higher than the degradation rate coefficients obtained with commercially available TiO2 (Degussa P-25). The enhanced degradation rate of the polymers when catalyzed by CSN-TiO2 can be due to the nano-size, high surface area, and the presence of hydroxyl groups on the surface of the catalyst. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.