Synthesis of sodium titanates and their use in the photocatalytic degradation of NO.

The synthesis and characterization of sodium titanates (ST), and their evaluation in the photocatalytic reduction of nitric oxide (NO) are described herein. The materials were synthesized by a hydrothermal route using 5 M NaOH as the mineralizer agent and a TiO content of 0.06 mg/mL (expressed as the mass ratio of TiO/mL of NaOH), at 170 °C for 48 h, resulting in sodium tri- and hexa-titanates. A nanotubular morphology was observed for the ST, as proved by scanning electron microscopy (SEM); a subsequent heat-treatment at 400 °C allowed a complete transformation of sodium tri- to hexa-titanates and an increase in bandgap. The obtained ST were impregnated with Ag and Zn cations, ST-Ag and ST-Zn, respectively, to tune the materials' bandgap. XPS analysis of the ST-Ag materials showed evidence of metallic Ag, pointing to the formation of silver nanoparticles, whereas for ST-Zn oxide phases were mainly spotted. The materials were evaluated for the photocatalytic reduction of NO using a reactor fed with a continuous flow rate of NO, generated in situ at a flow of 280 mL/min using nitrogen and a 253-nm UV irradiation source. The photocatalytic tests showed that pristine ST (tri- and hexa-titanates) displayed better performance in the reduction of NO with respect to the impregnated samples (ST-Ag, ST-Zn). Maximum degradation efficiencies of 80% were achieved when 1 g of photocatalyst was used with a flow of 280 mL/min and a 253 nm UV lamp.