TiO<sub>2</sub> Modified Geopolymers for the Photocatalytic Dye Decomposition
Martina Novotná,
Petr Knotek,
Tomáš Hanzlíček,
Petr Kutálek,
Ivana Perná,
Klára Melánová,
Eva Černošková,
Kateřina Kopecká
Affiliations
Martina Novotná
Department of Material Structure and Properties, Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 94/41, 18209 Prague 8, Czech Republic
Petr Knotek
Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 53210 Pardubice, Czech Republic
Tomáš Hanzlíček
Department of Material Structure and Properties, Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 94/41, 18209 Prague 8, Czech Republic
Petr Kutálek
Joint Laboratory of Solid State Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 84, 53210 Pardubice, Czech Republic
Ivana Perná
Department of Material Structure and Properties, Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 94/41, 18209 Prague 8, Czech Republic
Klára Melánová
Joint Laboratory of Solid State Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 84, 53210 Pardubice, Czech Republic
Eva Černošková
Joint Laboratory of Solid State Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 84, 53210 Pardubice, Czech Republic
Kateřina Kopecká
Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 53210 Pardubice, Czech Republic
This article studies the photocatalytic activity of three types of industrially produced TiO2 powder (P25, CG100 and CG300) incorporated into a parent geopolymer matrix, and their pure counterparts, based on the decomposition of Rhodamine B dye. Rhodamine B dye is applied as a model substance because it is frequently used in the textile industry and thus may be present in the wastewater. The average particle size, specific surface area and mineralogical composition of TiO2 powders have been determined. The geopolymer matrix works well as a supporting material for the CG100 and P25 pure types of TiO2 powder as these input materials have better properties such as a higher average particle size, lower specific surface area, mineralogicalcomposition, etc., than the CG300 TiO2 powder. These properties (or their combination) affect the photocatalytic activity of the resulting materials, which may thus become advanced composites with an additional purifying ability, e.g., materials that can be used for wastewater treatment or air purification.
