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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

The Effect of Interfacial Chemical Bonding in TiO2-SiO2 Composites on Their Photocatalytic NOx Abatement Performance
Published on: July 4, 2017
Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous silica films encapsulating titanium dioxide particles; Photodegradation
William A Adams1, Martin G Bakker, Transito Macias
1Department of Chemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0336, USA.
Abstract:
Degussa P-25 TiO2 encapsulated in a SBA-15 mesoporous thin film silica matrix prepared using a block copolymer templating method. The film structure was characterized using small angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), and polarized light microscopy. The photoactivity of the films was assessed using HPLC and UV-vis spectroscopy to study the photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol, an industrial pollutant, in water under 350 nm irradiation. The unoptimized film was found to be approximately half as photoactive as an equivalent dispersion of TiO2.

