Photocatalytic Activity of Multicompound TiO2/SiO2 Nanoparticles

Multicompound TiO2/SiO2 nanoparticles with a diameter of 50-70 nm were generated using a liquid flame spray (LFS) nanoparticle deposition in a single flame. Here, we study the photocatalytic activity of deposited multicompound nanoparticles in gas-phase via oxidation of acetylene into carbon dioxide that gives new insight about the multicompound nanoparticle morphology. A small addition of SiO2 content of 0.5%, 1.0% and 3.0% significantly suppressed the photocatalytic activity by 33%, 44% and 70%, respectively, whereas 5.0% SiO2 addition completely removed the activity. This may be due to a formation of a thin passivating SiO2 layer on top of the of the TiO2 nanostructures during the LFS nanoparticle deposition. Surface wetting results support this hypothesis with a significant increase in water contact angle as the SiO2 content is increased.