An application of transparent mesoporous bulk silica to a titanium dioxide photocatalyst with adsorption and decomposition functions

Mesoporous bulk silica with optical transparency and high porosity can be prepared using a gel-templating method. This unique material has potentially wide-ranging applications as containers of specific molecules, smart deliverers of target molecules, and photonic devices. Among the potential applications, the use of silica as a photocatalyst is explored in this paper; the photocatalyst was prepared by loading titanium dioxide (titania) from the titania precursor solution into the mesoporous structure of silica with a controlled pore size. Even after crystallization, the titania-loaded silica remained highly mesoporous with uniform pore size and optical transparency. The ability of the adsorption and decomposition of acetaldehyde gas was evaluated by measuring the concentration change of the gas with and without the irradiation of ultraviolet rays. As a result, the specific surface area, the amount of titania and the calcination temperature were essential in determining the adsorption ability as well as the decomposition ability.