Photocatalytic activity of nanostructured γ-Al2O3/TiO2 composite powder formed via a polyelectrolyte-multilayer-assisted sol–gel reaction

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PEM assisted synthesis for {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} composite powder is developed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanoparticulate TiO{sub 2} layer results in high specific surface area composite powder. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} composite powder exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity. -- Abstract: Nanostructured, {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} composite powder was fabricated via an in situ, sol-gel reaction of titanium iso-propoxide in a self-assembled, polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) formed on the surface of high-specific-area, polycrystalline, {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} lamellas. The infiltration of the titanium precursor into the PEM, followed by the hydrolysis and condensation reactions with the water absorbed in the PEM after annealing, resulted in the formation of a nanostructured TiO{sub 2} layer on the surface of the {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} lamellas. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to evaluate the morphology, the chemical composition and the crystallinity of the {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} particles of the composite powder. The as-formed, nanostructured, {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} composite powder exhibited a 2.7-times-higher photo-activity in the near-UV region compared to commercially available TiO{sub 2} (Degusa P25), as monitored by the photo-decomposition of a methylene blue (MB) dye.