Preparation of SiO<sub>2</sub> Aerogel Supported Nano-TiO<sub>2</sub> Photocatalysts for Removing Rhodamine B in the Waste Water

Using the as-prepared SiO2 aerogels as carriers, SiO2 aerogel supported nano-TiO2 (TiO2/SiO2 aerogel) photocatalysts were prepared by sol-gel and adsorption loading process. The microstructure, morphology and properties of the obtained TiO2/SiO2 aerogel were studied by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) N2 adsorption-desorption analysis. The adsorption/photocatalytic degradation for Rhodamine B of TiO2/SiO2 aerogel composite photocatalysts was investigated. The results indicate that TiO2 sol concentration is the main factor influencing the microstructure and properties of TiO2/SiO2 aerogel composite photocatalysts. With the increasing of TiO2 sol concentration, the amount of loaded TiO2 increased, but the specific surface area, pore volume and pore size gradually decreased. The specific surface area, pore volume and pore diameter of TiO2/SiO2 aerogel photocatalysts after annealed at 550oC are 444.76～750.34 m2/g, 0.08～0.70 m3/g and 2.46～4.58nm, respectively. The TiO2/SiO2 aerogel prepared with 0.75 mol/L TiO2 sol concentration has best adsorption/photocatalytic degradation for Rhdamine B.