Photocatalytic behavior of TiO2 nanoparticles supported on porous aluminosilicate surface modified by cationic surfactant

In order to utilize the photocatalytic function of TiO2 nanoparticles in materials manufactured from organic polymeric compounds, such as paper, resins, and textiles, TiO2 nanoparticles supported on aluminosilicate, which contained 1, 5, and 10 wt% of TiO2 were prepared by mixing commercial TiO2 nanoparticles and porous aluminosilicate at pH 7 in a cationic surfactant aqueous solution. Most of the supported TiO2 nanoparticles on the aluminosilicate surface were observed by TEM–EDS (energy depressive X-ray spectroscopy) analysis. TiO2 nanoparticles supported on aluminosilicate reduced the formaldehyde concentration from 20 to 0 ppm after UV irradiation for 20 h; the reduction of formaldehyde concentration under UV irradiation was obviously different from that in the dark. Moreover, a paper mixed with 20 wt% of TiO2 nanoparticles supported on aluminosilicate bleached the stains colored with cigarette tar after UV irradiation for 6 h. However, the paper maintained its initial tensile strength even after UV irradiation for 1 year; in contrast, the paper mixed with a simple dry mixture of TiO2 powder and aluminosilicate lost approximately half of its initial tensile strength after a year. TiO2 nanoparticles supported on aluminosilicate could exhibit photocatalytic activity without decomposing the organic polymeric compounds.