Photocatalytic activity of a hierarchically macro/mesoporous titania

Light-harvesting macroporous channels have been successfully incorporated into a mesoporous TiO2 framework to increase its photocatalytic activity. This bimodal porous material was characterized by X-ray diffractometry in both low-angle and wide-angle ranges, N-2 adsorption-desorption analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Ethylene photodegradation in gas-phase medium was employed as a probe reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic reactivity of the catalysts. The results reveal that sintering temperature significantly affects the structural stability and photocatalytic activity of titania. The catalyst which calcined at 350 degrees C possessed an intact macro/mesoporous structure and showed photocatalytic reactivity about 60% higher than that of commercial P25 titania. When the sample was calcined at 500 degrees C, the macroporous structure was retained but the mesoporous structure was partly destroyed. Further heating at temperatures above 600 degrees C destroyed both macro- and mesoporous structures, accompanied by a loss in photocatalytic activity. The high photocatalytic performance of the intact macro/mesoporous TiO2 may be explained by the existence of macrochannels that increase photoabsorption efficiency and allow efficient diffusion of gaseous molecules.