Influence of chitosan–PEG binary template on the crystallite characteristics of sol–gel synthesized mesoporous nano-titania photocatalyst

Abstract

Nano-titania is by far, the most studied material for its photocatalytic application in air and water pollution abatement. In this study, we have demonstrated the advantage offered by using a binary template of PEG and chitosan for the sol–gel synthesis of titania. Nano-titania samples were prepared using PEG, chitosan and the binary combination of these two as templates. XRD showed that all synthesized samples preserved the anatase structure. Titania sample prepared on 1% PEG and 3% chitosan as template (P1-C3 titania) possessed spherical shaped particles with an average particle size of 12.3nm, a surface area of 82.9m2/g and uniform dispersion. DRS UV–Vis spectra indicated that, P1-C3 titania showed blue shift in its absorption profile due to decrease in particle size. Consistent with the characteristics, the P1-C3 titania exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol under UV irradiation, in comparison with all the synthesized photocatalytic systems and Degussa-P25. The chitosan bio template is believed to offer controlled growth of titania through Lewis base type interaction with Ti metallic centers in TiO2. Such controlled growth route will be significant in synthesizing custom-made titania for its advanced applications in catalytic processes.