Improved Photocatalytic Activity of Polysiloxane TiO₂ Composites by Thermally Induced Nanoparticle Bulk Clustering and Dye Adsorption.

ABSTRACT: Fine control of nanoparticle clustering within polymeric matrices can be tuned to enhance the physicochemical properties of the resulting composites, which are governed by the interplay of nanoparticle surface segregation and bulk clustering. To this aim, out-of-equilibrium strategies can be leveraged to program the multiscale organization of such systems. Here, we present experimental results indicating that bulk assembly of highly photoactive clusters of titanium dioxide nanoparticles within an in situ synthesized polysiloxane matrix can be thermally tuned. Remarkably, the controlled nanoparticle clustering results in improved degradation photocatalytic performances of the material under 1 sun toward methylene blue. The resulting coatings, in particular the 35 wt % TiO₂-loaded

SUBMITTER: Chiappara C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8413002 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature