Self-cleaning glass coated with Fe^(3+)-TiO_2 thin film

The self-cleaning glass coated with Fe3+-TiO2 photocatalytic thin film was prepared by sol-gel process from the system Ti（OC4H9）4-NH（C2H4OH）2-C2H5OH-H2O containing FeCl3. The microstructure and properties of the film were studied using differential thermal analysis-thermogravimetry（DTA-TG）, X-ray diffration（XRD） and scanning electron microscope（SEM）. The transmittance of the self-cleaning glass was measured by using UV-Vis spectrometer. The effects of content of Fe3+ and the thickness of Fe3+-TiO2 thin film on the photocatalytic activity were examined. The results show that the photocatalytic thin films are mainly composed of Fe3O4 and TiO2 particles within 10100 nm. The appropriate amount of Fe3+ is effective for improving the photocatalytic activities of TiO2. The best photocatalytic activity is obtained when the molar ratio of Fe3+ to TiO2 is 0.005 and the glass is coated with 9 layers.

Transparent Coating with TiO2 Nanorods for High-performance Photocatalytic Self-cleaning and Environmental Remediation

High-performance self-cleaning coatings are highly desired by the industry and market.Herein,we synthesized two kinds of ultrafine TiO2 nanocrystals,one is anatase dots with a diameter of 5 nm,and the other is rutile rods with 1.5 nm in width and 7 nm in length.The prepared TiO:nanocrystal is highly dispersed and stable in water over a month.The coating can be fabricated via a simple spraving method,displaying excellent optical properties and photocatalytic performance on self-cleaning and surrounding environment remediation.The transmittance of glass remains 80%-90%for visible and near-infrared light after 30 cycles of spray.RhB solution(50 mg/L)was applied to the coating surface and form a solid RhB layer was formed,which can be completely removed in 30 min's light irradiation.RhB aqueous solution(100 mL,5 mg/L)was purified after 180 min by a 10 cm×10 cmglass,on which the coating was sprayed 30 times.The concentrations of formaldehyde and PM2.5 in surrounding air displayed a significant decrease along 50 min's monitoring.This high-performance coating shows great potential for constructing functional coating on various substrates for industrial applications.