Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous silica films encapsulating titanium dioxide particles; Photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol.

Degussa P-25 TiO2 encapsulated in a SBA-15 mesoporous thin film silica matrix prepared using a block copolymer templating method. The film structure was characterized using small angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), and polarized light microscopy. The photoactivity of the films was assessed using HPLC and UV-vis spectroscopy to study the photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol, an industrial pollutant, in water under 350 nm irradiation. The unoptimized film was found to be approximately half as photoactive as an equivalent dispersion of TiO2.