Preparation and photocatalytic activity of mesoporous-assembled nano-titania thin films derived from a laurylamine hydrochloride surfactant-aided sol–gel method

Abstract

The utilization of mesoporous-assembled nano-titania (TiO2) thin films immobilized on glass plates for the photocatalytic degradation of Acid Black (AB) azo dye under UV light irradiation is investigated. The mesoporous-assembled TiO2 nanoparticle photocatalyst is synthesized by a sol–gel process with the aid of laurylamine hydrochloride (LAHC) surfactant as an effective mesopore-forming agent. The effects of calcination temperature and number of TiO2 coatings on the photocatalytic AB dye degradation performance are investigated. The experimental results reveal that an increase in calcination temperature in the range of 400–500°C can improve the photocatalytic activity of the mesoporous-assembled TiO2 films, but thick multilayer TiO2 films cannot be prepared at a higher calcination temperature. In addition, an increase in number of TiO2 coatings significantly enhances the photocatalytic activity to reach maximum and optimum three coatings.