Preparation and gaseous photocatalytic activity of smooth potassium dititanate film

Abstract

A new smooth potassium dititanate film was prepared by sol-gel method and characterized by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-Visible diffuse reflectance and Raman spectroscopy. The gaseous photocatalytic activity of smooth K₂Ti₂O₅ films was studied using contact angle analysis from the photocatalytic decomposition of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed on K₂Ti₂O₅ films. The photocurrent response of the film was determined by an electrochemical method. It was shown that the films were smooth, compact, and transparent when formed on glass. Compared with TiO₂ film, the K₂Ti₂O₅ film showed wide absorption in the ultraviolet and visible region. It was found that the monolayers on K₂Ti₂O₅ decomposed much faster than those on TiO₂ under UV irradiation of 254 nm in air. The film also exhibited a stronger photoresponse and a more stable anodic photocurrent. The K₂Ti₂O₅ film efficiently decomposes the alkylsiloxane monolayers under UV irradiation in air and it was found to be a good photocatalyst for gaseous organic pollutant treatment.

Keywords

potassium dititanate film / photocatalysis / photoelectrochemistry / sol-gel