Facile surface modification of ceramic membranes using binary TiO2/SiO2 for achieving fouling resistance and photocatalytic degradation

Inorganic surface modification was carried out using a TiO2/SiO2 sol–gel process to enhance photocatalytic activity and to mitigate fouling of alumina microfiltration membranes. Pristine alumina membranes were subjected to TiO2/SiO2 coating with varied TiO2 mole percentages. Upon the formation of the TiO2/SiO2 layer, small changes in the surface morphology, pore size, and specific surface area were detected. Particularly, as the pore size decreased with the decrease in TiO2 content, the pure water permeability also gradually diminished. By examining the binary TiO2/SiO2 compositions, the optimized conditions demonstrating both higher flux performance and greater photocatalytic activity were determined. Thus, the inorganic surface modification by TiO2/SiO2 coating could contribute significantly to the realization of self-cleaning ceramic membranes while extending the membrane cleaning cycle and accelerating productivity.