TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials
The high pollution levels in our cities are producing a significant increase of dust on buildings. An application of photoactive coatings on building materials can produce buildings with self-cleaning surfaces. In this study, we have developed a simple sol-gel route for producing Au-TiO2/SiO2 photoc...
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doaj-44a2e106dcb84186ad9b2d4ae31e2fa72020-11-25T00:30:24ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912018-03-018317710.3390/nano8030177nano8030177TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building MaterialsManuel Luna0Juan J. Delgado1M. L. Almoraima Gil2María J. Mosquera3TEP-243 Nanomaterials Group, Department of Physical-Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainDepartment of Inorganic Chemistry, CASEM, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainTEP-243 Nanomaterials Group, Department of Physical-Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainTEP-243 Nanomaterials Group, Department of Physical-Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainThe high pollution levels in our cities are producing a significant increase of dust on buildings. An application of photoactive coatings on building materials can produce buildings with self-cleaning surfaces. In this study, we have developed a simple sol-gel route for producing Au-TiO2/SiO2 photocatalysts with application on buildings. The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) improved the TiO2 photoactivity under solar radiation because they promoted absorption in the visible range. We varied the content of AuNPs in the sols under study, in order to investigate their effect on self-cleaning properties. The sols obtained were sprayed on a common building stone, producing coatings which adhere firmly to the stone and preserve their aesthetic qualities. We studied the decolourization efficiency of the photocatalysts under study against methylene blue and against soot (a real staining agent for buildings). Finally, we established that the coating with an intermediate Au content presented the best self-cleaning performance, due to the role played by its structure and texture on its photoactivity.http://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/8/3/177photocatalystself-cleaningbuildingAu-TiO2/SiO2 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Manuel Luna Juan J. Delgado M. L. Almoraima Gil María J. Mosquera |
spellingShingle |
Manuel Luna Juan J. Delgado M. L. Almoraima Gil María J. Mosquera TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials Nanomaterials photocatalyst self-cleaning building Au-TiO2/SiO2 |
author_facet |
Manuel Luna Juan J. Delgado M. L. Almoraima Gil María J. Mosquera |
author_sort |
Manuel Luna |
title |
TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials |
title_short |
TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials |
title_full |
TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials |
title_fullStr |
TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials |
title_full_unstemmed |
TiO2-SiO2 Coatings with a Low Content of AuNPs for Producing Self-Cleaning Building Materials |
title_sort |
tio2-sio2 coatings with a low content of aunps for producing self-cleaning building materials |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Nanomaterials |
issn |
2079-4991 |
publishDate |
2018-03-01 |
description |
The high pollution levels in our cities are producing a significant increase of dust on buildings. An application of photoactive coatings on building materials can produce buildings with self-cleaning surfaces. In this study, we have developed a simple sol-gel route for producing Au-TiO2/SiO2 photocatalysts with application on buildings. The gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) improved the TiO2 photoactivity under solar radiation because they promoted absorption in the visible range. We varied the content of AuNPs in the sols under study, in order to investigate their effect on self-cleaning properties. The sols obtained were sprayed on a common building stone, producing coatings which adhere firmly to the stone and preserve their aesthetic qualities. We studied the decolourization efficiency of the photocatalysts under study against methylene blue and against soot (a real staining agent for buildings). Finally, we established that the coating with an intermediate Au content presented the best self-cleaning performance, due to the role played by its structure and texture on its photoactivity. |
topic |
photocatalyst self-cleaning building Au-TiO2/SiO2 |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/8/3/177 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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