Microstructure and photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO2 film coated on an aluminum foam

A TiO2 film was synthesized via a surfactant assisted sol gel process and dip-coated on the surface of an open-celled aluminum foam. The film shows a typical mesoporous structure composed of anatase crystalline grains with the average size of 10 nm, and has the thickness of about 3.5 mu m as well as the BET surface area of 78.1 m(2)/g. It exhibits high photocatalytic efficiency toward the decomposition of formaldehyde at continuous flow mode. The relatively small grain size of TiO2 and relatively thick mesoporous structure, which is favorable for high photochemical activity and the mass transfer of the reactants, should be responsible for the properties. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.