Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 films prepared by surfactant-mediated sol–gel methods over commercial polymer substrates

Abstract

Commercially available transparent polymers are evaluated as support for photoactive TiO2 and tested for their application in gas phase photocatalytic oxidation processes. The polymers were selected on the basis of their optical properties and the TiO2 film adhesion. Two low-temperature surfactant-mediated sol–gel synthesis methods of TiO2–SiO2 nanocomposites are investigated to provide acid TiO2–basic SiO2 interactions for the formation of photocatalytic films of higher quality. These procedures are expected to improve photocatalytic properties compared to those obtained by direct coating of TiO2 on the polymers. One method consists in modifying the polymer surface with a layer of poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride, which provides a positively charged surface for the fixation of the alkaline SiO2 sol. The other method is based on reducing the surface tension of the SiO2 sol using perfluorobutane sulfonates. Both methods are compared to direct deposition in terms of homogeneity of the layers and photocatalytic activity for trichloroethylene oxidation. Among the commercial polymers employed poly(methyl methacrylate) processed by sheet moulding showed the best optical properties, TiO2 adhesion, and photocatalytic activity, which was promoted by the deposition of the silica interlayer by both preparation methods.