Removal of Methylene Blue from Water Using Porous $TiO_2$/Silica Gel Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition

In the present work, $TiO_2$ fiilms supported by porous silica gel with high surface area synthesized by atomic layer deposition(ALD). Porous structure of silica substrate could be maintained even after deposit large amount of $TiO_2$ (500 cycles of ALD process), suggesting the differential growth mode of $TiO_2$ on top surface and inside the pore. All the $TiO_2$-covered silica samples showed improved MB adsorption abilities, comparing to bare one. In addition, when silica surface was covered with $TiO_2$ films, MB adsorption capacity was almost fully recovered by re-annealing process (500$^{\circ}C$, for 1 hr, in ambient pressure), whereas MB adsorption capacity of bare silica was decreased after re-heaing process. FT-IR study demonstrated that $TiO_2$ film could prevent deposition of surface-bound intermediate species during thermal decomposition of adsorbed MB molecules. Photocatalytic activity of $TiO_2$/silica sample was also investigated.