Enhancement of the photocatalytic reactivity of TiO2 nano-particles by a simple mechanical blending with hydrophobic mordenite (MOR) zeolite

The photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous acetaldehyde with O2 on commercial TiO2 nano-particles could be successfully enhanced by a simple mechanical blending with a high-silica mordenite (MOR) zeolite, the surface of which showed high hydrophobic properties. When the TiO2 nano-particles of ca. 5–20 wt% were mixed with the MOR zeolite powders in an agate mortar for only 5 min, the blended TiO2/MOR samples showed higher photocatalytic reactivity as compared to the pure TiO2 nano-particles. Since the high-silica zeolite powders are highly transparent in UV light regions, the incident UV light is effectively irradiated onto the whole part of the TiO2 nano-particles without any loss of light intensity. Furthermore, the siliceous MOR zeolite powders effectively adsorb the gaseous acetaldehyde molecules and supply them onto the surfaces of the blended TiO2 nano-particles, resulting in an enhancement of the photocatalytic reactivity.