Synthesis and characterization of nano-titania photocatalyst loaded on Mo-MCM-41 support

A series of Mo-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves of varying Mo content (Si/Mo = 25, 50 and 75) were synthesized by hydrothermal method and loaded with 25 wt% TiO₂ using sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm measurement were used to investigate the effects of the incorporated element on the structure of MCM-41. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples was evaluated using methylene blue as a model organic compound. The nanoporous molecular sieve supports were used to facilitate the photodegradation reaction by providing high surface area for adsorption of the organic pollutants. The photoactivity of TiO₂-loaded Mo-MCM-41 was found to be strongly influenced by the amount of Mo atoms present in the catalyst and the surface property of the support. The optimum atomic ratio of Si to Mo in the catalyst is found to be 50.