Supported nanometric titanium oxide sols as a new efficient photocatalyst

We report on the first study of the photocatalytic performance of immobilized smallest titanium oxide oxoparticles of the size 2R = 5.0 nm on a glass support. The nanometric particles are prepared in the sol-gel reactor with rapid reagent mixing and temperature, atmosphere, and particle size control. The surface coverage is achieved by inserting the support into the reactor solution during the induction period, where chemically active nanoparticles are relatively stable. We show that this immobilized amorphous oxo phase of titanium oxide exhibits considerable activity toward photocatalytic degradation of trichloroethylene in the gas phase. Moreover, one of the important factors appears to be the catalyst surface preparation, which has to be free of the adsorbed alcohol molecules. UV-assisted exchange between propoxy and hydroxy groups is suggested as the surface activation mechanism. The film thickness is expected to strongly affect the material photocatalytic efficiency because of the internal traps population.