A low temperature preparation and photocatalytical activities of PDVB@TiO2 hybrid microspheres

The core/shell anatase TiO₂ encapsulated poly(divinylbenzene) (PDVB@TiO₂) hybrid microspheres were prepared by the two steps: (1) the copolymer particles (PDVB) were prepared by the radical precipitation copolymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB) and γ-[(methacryloxy)propyl]trimethoxysilane (KH-570); (2) tetrabutyl titanate (TBOT) was co-hydrolyzed with the trimethoxysilyl groups on the surfaces of the PDVB cores and then the amorphous TiO₂ shell obtained was phase transformed to anatase TiO₂ by acid peptization. The products were characterized by FT-IR, UV–vis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Their photocatalytical activities were measured by the photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB). The polymer supported TiO₂ photocatalysts prepared at low temperature, had better repetition because of the coupled action of KH-570 between the PDVB core and TiO₂ shell. Furthermore, it could be easily separated from the solution by simple sedimentation.