Photocatalytic Composites of Silicone Nanofilaments and TiO₂ Nanoparticles

Abstract

Abstract Nanoscale TiO 2 photocatalysts are key materials for convenient wastewater treatment and other essential cleaning processes. Immobilization of TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) is thus indispensable for the facile handling and separation of nanocatalysts as well as for minimizing their potential health and environmental hazards. Silicone nanofilaments are introduced as a new flexible carrier type for titania NPs because they are compatible with a wide range of substrates and they display high chemical stability. TiO 2 ‐NPs are deposited on glass slides covered with thin carpets of silicone nanofilaments in a single reaction step starting from TiF 4 and optimized ethanol/water ratios. The resulting composites are characterized using a wide range of electron microscopy and other analytical techniques, and their photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) is superior to immobilized TiO 2 references on plain substrates.