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International Journal of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Volume 3 (2017), Article ID 3:IJMME-135, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.15344/2455-2372/2017/135
Research Article
Improved Fabrication Method for Porous PMMA-titania Composite Photocatalytic Materials

Justin D. Glover1, Autumn G. Horne1, Jeron D. Crawford1 and Joel E. Boyd1,2*

1Department of Chemistry, Erskine College, Washington St, Due West, SC 29639, USA
2Center for Environmental Stewardship, Erskine College, Washington St, Due West, SC 29639, USA
Prof. Joel E. Boyd, Department of Chemistry, Erskine College and Center for Environmental Stewardship, 2 Washington St, Due West, SC 29639, USA; E-mail: boyd@erskine.edu
16 April 2015; 01 July 2017; 03 July 2017
Glover JD, Horne AG, Crawford JD, Boyd JE (2017) Improved Fabrication Method for Porous PMMA-titania Composite Photocatalytic Materials. Int J Metall Mater Eng 3: 135. doi: https://doi.org/10.15344/2455-2372/2017/135
J. Glover was funded in part by a grant from the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities. Additional funding was provided by the Erskine Center for Environmental Stewardship.

Abstract

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.