Reusable TiO2‐SBA‐15 Synthesized by Different Silica/Titania Ratios for Photodegradation

Abstract A series of TiO 2 /SBA‐15 photocatalysts were synthesized with different Si/Ti ratios by a one‐step hydrothermal method with TiO 2 nano‐powder. During the synthesis of TiO 2 /SBA‐15 s, the SBA‐15 pore structure and channels did not deteriorate, and the Si/Ti molar ratios were close to the expected nominal ratios. Photocatalysts exhibited a uniform‐narrow pore size distribution, and the BET areas were in the range of 621–583 m 2 /g. TiO 2 nanocrystals into the SBA‐15 mesopores walls achieve up to the ratio of Si/Ti=16. The optical band gap energies were significantly red‐shifted with increasing Ti insertion, which is the quantization effects improving the photocatalytic activities. The photocatalytic activities of the TiO 2 /SBA‐15 s were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under a UV‐light irradiation at a constant TiO 2 content. The highest efficiency was obtained in the TiO 2 /SBA‐15(16) photocatalyst at 79.6 %. The results of reusability and stability analyses demonstrate that the photocatalyst activity and stability are good, and that the photocatalytic activity was sustainable after reuse for several cycles.