Synthesis and characterization of TiO2 pillared montmorillonites: application for methylene blue degradation.

TiO2 pillared clay composites were prepared by modifying of montmorillonite (Mt) with cetyl-trimethyammoniumbromide (CTAB) and then using an acidic solution of hydrolyzed Ti alkoxide to intercalate into the interlayer space of the organic modified Mt. The as-prepared materials were characterized by XRD, FTIR, TEM, SEM TG-DTA, specific surface area and porosity measurements. The composites had a porous delaminated structure with pillared fragments and well dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles. Introduction of CTAB into the synthetic system accelerated the hydrolysis and condensation of the Ti source, which promoted TiO2 formation. In addition, the CTAB also significantly increased the porosity and surface area of the composites. A number of anatase particles, with crystal sizes of 5-10 nm, were homogenously distributed on the surface of the Mt as the result of the templating role of CTAB. The resultant TiO2 pillared Mt exhibited good thermal stability as indicated by its surface area after calcination at 800°C. No phase transformations from anatase to rutile were observed even under calcination at 900°C. The grain size of the anatase in prepared sample increased from 2.67 nm to 13.42 nm as the calcination temperature increased from 300°C to 900°C. The photocatalytic performance of these new porous materials was evaluated by using methylene blue degradation. The composite exhibited better photocatalytic property than P 25. The maximum removal efficiency of this composite was up to 99% within 60 min.

Synthesis and photocatalytic performances of the TiO2 pillared montmorillonite.

TiO(2) pillared clay materials were prepared by montmorillonite (Mt) and acidic solutions of hydrolyzed Ti alkoxides in the presence of high-molecular-weight polyoxypropylene (POP)-backboned di-quaternary salts (POP). The as-prepared materials were characterized by means of XRD, FTIR, TG-DTA, XRF, specific surface area and porosity determinations, TEM and SEM, respectively. The experiments showed that the resulting material was a porous delaminated structure containing pillared fragments and nano-scaled TiO(2) particles well dispersed among each other. Introducing polymer surfactant POP as an expanding agent of Mt cannot only promote the formation of the delaminated structure, but significantly improve the porosity and surface area of the composites. The resulting TiO(2) pillared Mt exhibited a good thermal stability as indicated by its surface area after calcination at 800 °C. No phase transformation from anatase to rutile was observed even under calcination at 900 °C. The grain size of anatase in as-prepared sample decreased with the increase of the POP concentration, but increased with the increment of calcination temperature. The photocatalytic performances of these new porous materials were evaluated by using methylene blue degradation. The composite solid exhibited superior photocatalyic property and the maximum removal efficiency was up to 98% within 90 min.