Reusable TiO2-SBA-15 Synthesized by Different Silica/Titania Ratios for Photodegradation

A series of TiO2/SBA-15 photocatalysts were synthesized with different Si/Ti ratios by a one-step hydrothermal method with TiO2 nano-powder. During the synthesis of TiO2/SBA-15 s, the SBA-15 pore structure and channels did not deteriorate, and the Si/Ti molar ratios were close to the expected nominal ratios. Photocatalysts exhibited a uniform-narrow pore size distribution, and the BET areas were in the range of 621-583 m(2)/g. TiO2 nanocrystals into the SBA-15 mesopores walls achieve up to the ratio of Si/Ti=16. The optical band gap energies were significantly red-shifted with increasing Ti insertion, which is the quantization effects improving the photocatalytic activities. The photocatalytic activities of the TiO2/SBA-15 s were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under a UV-light irradiation at a constant TiO2 content. The highest efficiency was obtained in the TiO2/SBA-15(16) photocatalyst at 79.6 %. The results of reusability and stability analyses demonstrate that the photocatalyst activity and stability are good, and that the photocatalytic activity was sustainable after reuse for several cycles.