Characterization and photocatalytic properties of ceramics TiO2 nanocomposites

Abstract In this study, we prepared ceramics nanocomposites using titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and evaluated the photocatalytic activity for methyl orange (MO) as a typical pollutant in the textile industry. In addition, the physical properties such as the compressive strength and bending strength were investigated. The characteristics of the prepared ceramics TiO2 nanocomposites were evaluated by using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. Applying the mechanical milling method and thermal reaction, ceramics TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared by using fly ash from the thermal power plant, the mixed waste glass powder and TiO2 nanoparticles. It was found that addition of nano-sized particles significantly improves the physical properties of the specimens. With the increase in the TiO2 nanoparticle content, the decomposition of MO increased under UV light. The photocatalyst degradability of MO in ceramics nanocomposites improved to about 0.241 when 16 wt% TiO2 nanoparticle was added. In addition, the photocatalyst degradability of prepared ceramics nanocomposites was evaluated using acetaldehyde (ATA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and methylene blue (MB) as photodegradation targets.