Nanoscale effects of silica particle supports on the formation and properties of TiO sub(2) nanocatalysts

• Published in: Nanoscale Vol. 5; no. 13; pp. 5854 - 5862
• Main Authors: Li, Aize, Jin, Yuhui, Muggli, Darrin, Pierce, David T, Aranwela, Hemantha, Marasinghe, Gaya K, Knutson, Theodore, Brockman, Greg, Zhao, Julia Xiaojun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.06.2013
• Subjects: Anatase; Crystals; Curvature; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanostructure; Silicon dioxide; Titanium dioxide
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/c3nr01287e

Small TiO sub(2) crystals in the anatase phase are in high demand as photocatalysts. Stable TiO sub(2) crystals in the anatase phase were obtained using a silica nanoparticle as a support. The focus of this study was to investigate the nanoscale effect of the silica support on the formation and properties of small anatase crystals. The experiments were carried out using powder X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersion spectroscopy. The results showed that the size of the silica support played a crucial role in crystallization of TiO sub(2) and regulation of TiO sub(2) properties, including phase transition, crystal size, thermodynamic property and catalytic activity. A nanoscale curvature model of the spherical silica support was proposed to explain these size effects. Finally, the developed TiO sub(2) catalysts were applied to the oxidation of methanol using a high-throughput photochemical reactor. The size effect of the silica supports on the TiO sub(2) catalytic efficiency was demonstrated using this system.