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Surface modification of sol–gel synthesized TiO2 photo-catalysts for the production of core/shell structured TiO2–SiO2 nano-composites with reduced photo-catalytic activity

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Abstract

TiO2 nanoparticles have been prepared by a facile and reproducible wet chemical approach based on the sol–gel method followed by calcination at various temperatures and times. X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis/thermo-gravimetric analysis techniques were used to evaluate phase compositions and transformations during calcination treatment. Then, the silica coating of synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles has been performed by means of a route based on the Stöber process to fabricate core/shell structured TiO2–SiO2 nano-composites with the aim to decline the high photo-catalytic activity of pure TiO2 under UV light irradiation, while simultaneously maintaining its UV-barrier ability. The photo-catalytic property was evidenced by the degradation of an aqueous solution of methylene blue in UV range. The elemental composition of core/shell structured TiO2–SiO2 nano-composites was verified by using energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and in order to understand the atomic distributions, EDX elemental mapping has been demonstrated for optimum nano-composite sample. The chemical states of the atoms on the surface of synthesized TiO2 and in the coating layer of optimized nano-composite were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, and the presence of Si–O–Si and Ti–O–Si bands on the surface of nano-composite particles was further proved by it. In addition to the confirmation of coating of titania surface by silica layer with mean thickness of 4 nm via TEM image examination, the zeta-potential analyses also indicated that the silica sheath shifted the isoelectric point of synthesized titania toward that of a typical pure colloidal silica. Furthermore, the resultant optimum nano-composites have been characterized by BET, FTIR, FESEM and UV–Vis spectroscopy.

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Acknowledgments

The financial support of this work by the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), Grant No. 90004426, is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, Imam Khomeini International University (IKIU), Qazvin, Iran

    Vahide Tizjang, Masoud Rajabi & Maryam Kari

  2. School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Mehdi Montazeri-Pour

  3. Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj, Iran

    Shahab Moghadas

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  1. Vahide Tizjang
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  2. Mehdi Montazeri-Pour
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Correspondence to Masoud Rajabi.

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Tizjang, V., Montazeri-Pour, M., Rajabi, M. et al. Surface modification of sol–gel synthesized TiO2 photo-catalysts for the production of core/shell structured TiO2–SiO2 nano-composites with reduced photo-catalytic activity. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 26, 3008–3019 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-2791-z

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