Preparation and Photocatalytic Activity of Titanium Dioxide-organosilicone-Heteropolyacid Photocatalysts

Abstract

TiO 2 -organosilicone based hybrid catalysts functioned by Keggin-type heteropolyacid, TiO 2 -Si (Et)Si-H 3 PW 12 O 40 , were prepared via one-pot co-condensation method in the presence of a triblock copolymer surfactant (F127). The materials were well characterized by FT-IR, UV-vis DRS spectroscopy methods, and X-ray diffraction analysis to confirm the hybrid structure, to investigate correlation among TiO 2 -organosilicone matrix and H 3 PW 12 O 40 . Phtocatalytic tests show that, with a little amount of organosilicone and hybridization, the composite exhibits higher photocatalytic activity when decomposing the Rhodamine B ( RhB ) than anatase TiO 2 .