Development of Easy and Reproducible Immobilization Techniques Using TiO2 for Photocatalytic Degradation of Aquatic Pollutants

Two main routes of methods for the preparation of photocatalytic active titanium dioxide films on glass substrates were investigated: (1) the use of titanium dioxide powder and (2) the in situ generation of the catalyst via hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) or TiCl₄. The activities of the catalyst films were evaluated by measuring the degradation of dichloroacetic acid (DCA), clofibric acid, and terbuthylazine used as model organic compounds. The concentration decrease of DCA and the concentration increase of chloride ions as the decomposition product allowed to distinguish between photocatalytic degradation of DCA and adsorption onto the TiO₂ films. Furthermore, TiO₂ films of the commercially available materials P25 (Degussa) and Hombikat UV100 (Sachtleben Chemie) were used to investigate whether there was a difference in the degradation pathways of terbuthylazine as a model compound. For the experiments mini flow‐through reactors were constructed. The investigated immobilization techniques were easy to handle without need of any expensive equipment. All TiO₂ coatings showed good photocatalytic activities and mechanical stabilities with efficient long‐term stabilities. The best immobilization reproducibility was achieved by the spray coating technique and by the in situ method with the dipping sol‐gel process starting by TTIP. During the continuous use of the TiO₂ films no TiO₂ particles were found in the irradiated solutions.