Preparation and characterization of [60] fullerene nanoparticles supported on titania used as a photocatalyst

[60] Fullerene is a promising deposit for decreasing the rate of the ‘electron-hole’ recombination's occurring in the context of the photooxidation of pollutants and the photocatalytic splitting of water. We have demonstrated that simple or successive incipient wetness impregnation followed by heating at 180 °C is a simple and efficient method for dispersing effectively various amounts of C60 (in the range 1–4%, w/w) on the titania surface used in photocatalysis. The photocatalysts prepared were characterized using BET, XRD, DRS, and microelectrophoresis. The supported C60 nanoparticles, comprised from 13 to 215 C60 molecules, have mean radius ranged between 0.8 and 3.1 nm which increases with the C60 loading of the sample. The supported phase was proved to be quite stable against sublimation/combustion.