Ultrasonic-Assisted Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Application of SiO2@TiO2 Core-Shell Nanocomposite Particles

In this study, we report the synthesis of SiO2@TiO2 core-shell nanocomposite particles by ultrasound irradiation of a mixture of dispersed SiO2 nanoparticles, titanium-tetra-n-butoxide (TBOT), and ammonia in an ethanol-water solution medium. The resulting core-shell nanocomposite particles were characterized by SEM, TEM, FT-IR, XPS, XRF, zeta potential measurements, XRD, and UV-visible spectroscopy. Results showed that TiO2 nanoparticles coated on the surface of SiO2 were 6-10 nm in size and retained an anatase crystalline phase. Zeta potential measurements confirmed that the surface property of the SiO2 changed after TiO2 coating. SiO2@TiO2 core-shell particles demonstrated better decolorization of methylene blue dye compared to commercial TiO2 in aqueous solution under UV light. After treatment, the catalysts were separated with low-speed centrifugation and successfully reused four times without loss of activity. This study may provide some inspiration for the synthesis of other metal oxide-metal oxide core-shell nanocomposite materials through ultrasound irradiation.