Preparation and properties of supported 100% titania ceramic membranes

The complete titania membranes for both separation and in situ photocatalysis have been prepared on porous rutile support by dip-coating technique with an emphasis on the titania suspension stability and the sintering control. The characterizations demonstrate that the rheology and the dispersion of titania. suspensions strongly depend on the specific interactions between the dispersant and the oxide surface. The results indicate that the sintering temperature not only evidently affects the membrane microstructure but also the photocatalytic activity. The anatase with good thermal stability is employed as membrane materials for the permission of photocatalytic activity and membrane structure quality. The prepared membrane demonstrates a pore size in the range of 0.10-0.12 mu m and pure water permeability of 0.74 m(3) m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1). Further evaluation of photocatalysis implies that the supported membrane might be applied in environmental protection. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.