Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2 Coatings Obtained at Room Temperature on a Polymethyl Methacrylate Substrate
International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2022
Mairis Iesalnieks, Raivis Eglītis, Tālis Juhna, Krišjānis Šmits, Andris Šutka

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings have a wide range of applications. Anatase exhibits hydrophilic, antimicrobial, and photocatalytic properties for the degradation of organic pollutants or water splitting. The main challenge is to obtain durable anatase nanoparticle coatings on plastic substrates by using straightforward approaches. In the present study, we revealed the preparation of a transparent TiO2 coating on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), widely used for organic optical fibres as well as other polymer substrates such as polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polycarbonate (PC). The films were spin-coated at room temperature without annealing; therefore, our approach can be used for thermo-sensitive substrates. The deposition was successful due to the use of stripped ultra-small (<4 nm) TiO2 particles. Coatings were studied for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants such as MB, methyl orange (MO), and rhodamine B (RB) under UV light. The TiO2 coating on PMMA degraded over 80% of RB in 300 min under a 365 nm, 100 W mercury lamp, showing a degradation rate constant of 6 × 10−3 min−1. The coatings were stable and showed no significant decrease in degradation activity even after five cycles.


Atslēgas vārdi
photocatalysis | thin film | titanium dioxide
DOI
10.3390/ijms232112936
Hipersaite
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/21/12936

Iesalnieks, M., Eglītis, R., Juhna, T., Šmits, K., Šutka, A. Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2 Coatings Obtained at Room Temperature on a Polymethyl Methacrylate Substrate. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022, Vol. 23, No. 21, Article number 12936. ISSN 1661-6596. Pieejams: doi:10.3390/ijms232112936

Publikācijas valoda
English (en)
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