Facile surface modification of ceramic membranes using binary TiO2/SiO2 for achieving fouling resistance and photocatalytic degradation

Inorganic surface modification was carried out using a TiO₂/SiO₂ sol–gel process to enhance photocatalytic activity and to mitigate fouling of alumina microfiltration membranes. Pristine alumina membranes were subjected to TiO₂/SiO₂ coating with varied TiO₂ mole percentages. Upon the formation of the TiO₂/SiO₂ layer, small changes in the surface morphology, pore size, and specific surface area were detected. Particularly, as the pore size decreased with the decrease in TiO₂ content, the pure water permeability also gradually diminished. By examining the binary TiO₂/SiO₂ compositions, the optimized conditions demonstrating both higher flux performance and greater photocatalytic activity were determined. Thus, the inorganic surface modification by TiO₂/SiO₂ coating could contribute significantly to the realization of self-cleaning ceramic membranes while extending the membrane cleaning cycle and accelerating productivity.

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