Improved Fabrication Method for Porous PMMA-titania Composite Photocatalytic Materials

Porous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) infused with commercially prepared titania nanoparticles has been previously investigated for photocatalytic applications. The benchmark method of making this material involves introducing an aqueous dispersion of titaniainto a solution of PMMA, acetone, and TWEEN surfactant. This process leads to the coagulation of a porous PMMA/titania material with substantial photocatalytic activity. Revising the fabrication process to incorporate the titania directly into the PMMA-acetone solution prior to coagulation with distilled water, produces porous composite photocatalytic materials that use less TiO2 to achieve comparable photocatalytic degradation rates, while also reducing the titania loss during photocatalytic use of the composite.These new materials are thus more attractive candidates for photocatalytic applications, especially where the release of nanoscale titania is undesirable.