| AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Nanometer-scale Science and Technology | Thursday Sessions |
| Session NS-ThP |
| Session: | Nanometer-scale Science and Technology Poster Session |
| Presenter: | G.R. Meseck, University of Zurich, Switzerland |
| Authors: | G.R. Meseck, University of Zurich, Switzerland R. Kontic, University of Zurich, Switzerland G.R. Patzke, University of Zurich, Switzerland S. Seeger, University of Zurich, Switzerland |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Secured access to clean water resources is a fundamental need of human society and nanoparticulate TiO2 is amongst the most important materials for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. While TiO2-nanoparticles (NPs) thus offer photocatalytically effective routes to wastewater treatment, separation of NPs from reaction media is difficult and catalyst recycling often impossible. Immobilization of TiO2-NPs is therefore indispensable to facilitate handling as well as to control potential health and environmental hazards. We present silicone nanofilaments as a new flexible carrier type for TiO2-NPs, because they can be deposited as thin carpets on a variety of substrates and their silicone nature renders them chemically and environmentally stable. We deposited TiO2-NPs on thin carpets of silicone nanofilaments on glass slides in a convenient one-step reaction in ethanol/water mixtures from TiF4 as precursor under mild conditions. The resulting nanocomposite material is characterized with a wide range of electron microscopy and other analytical techniques. The photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) is proved and superior to TiO2-NPs immobilized on bare glass supports. Furthermore, the substrates are reusable for several cycles without significant loss in activity.