Surface, optical and photocatalytic properties of silica-supported TiO2 treated with electron beam

•Titanium (IV) n-butoxide and silica were used for synthesis of TiO2/SiO2 samples.•Preparation conditions affected surface and optical properties of TiO2/SiO2 samples.•Electron beam red shifted light absorption of TiO2/SiO2 samples.•Electron beam enhanced the photoactivity of TiO2/SiO2 in azo dye discoloration.

The influence of high-energy electron beam, (EB), treatment, in the dose range of 100–1000 kGy, on the physicochemical properties of silica-supported TiO2 was examined. TiO2/SiO2 supported oxides were obtained by impregnation of commercial silica gel (2–4 mm) with titanium (IV) n-butoxide. Surface and optical properties of prepared TiO2/SiO2 systems were analyzed using SEM, BET, XRD, Raman and UV–vis spectroscopy. The photoactivity under visible light was tested in discoloration of azo dye solution. No significant structural changes of the TiO2/SiO2 surface were detected as a result of EB treatment. Effect of EB irradiation was observed as an increase of photocatalytic activity in dye decomposition under visible light for TiO2/SiO2 samples containing ca. 23 wt% TiO2. The enhancement of activity was assigned to EB-induced defects and C-modification of TiO2 particles.