The Role of Silica in Precious Metal Supported Titania Hybrid Mesoporous Materials for Remediation and Energy Production

Semiconductor photocatalysis is an advanced oxidation process (AOP) that continues to show promise for the concomitant mineralization of non--biodegradable noxious and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to environmentally benign products, and the splitting of water. This work examined the use of sol--gel chemistry as a viable approach for the incorporation of transparent silica (SiO2) matrix and/or platinum onto titania (TiO2) so as to optimize physico-chemical properties such as charge separation, crystallinity, surface area, and particle size. It was determined that crystallinity of anatase in the mixed oxide photocatalyst can be improved by the addition of simple non-polar aromatic co-solvents in the sol-gel route, and subsequently enhance the photocatalytic degradation of phenol under UV--light irradiation. The Pt of smaller particle sizes in Pt--TiO2--SiO 2 resulted in higher phenol degradation efficiencies under solar simulated conditions, irrespective of the synthesis method employed. The presence of Pt in the lowest oxidation state, Pt0, is crucial for enhanced phenol degradation whereas PtO2 (Pt4+) serves as a mild recombination center for photogenerated charge carriers rather than demonstrating total inactivity. The production of ·OH radicals was shown to be imperative for sustaining the degradation process. In the water splitting reaction for hydrogen production, the role of the crystallinity of anatase is reaffirmed when TiO2--SiO2 is used, as the surface defects present in the silica phase seem to serve as recombination centers. However, in Pt--TiO2 photocatalysts, the presence of Pt 0 or PtO2 in close contact with TiO2 (heterojunction) allows for more efficient electron propagation and facilitates minimization of electron--hole recombination, hence improved solar simulated photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Extensive characterization of the photocatalysts were carried out by powder X--ray Diffraction (XRD), Nitrogen Physisorption Studies, Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT--IR), Raman spectroscopy, CO-pulse chemisorption, X--ray Photoelectron Microscopy (XPS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), and Energy Dispersive X--ray (EDX) spectroscopy. These techniques proved vital for establishing structure activity relationships, and as such provide insight to practitioners with simple techniques for the preparation of improved and economically viable photocatalysts for energy and environmental sustainability.