Effect of sulfate ions for sol–gel synthesis of titania photocatalyst

We have found that the use of sulfuric acid in the peptization process of sol–gel method produced SO₄^2?-incorporated TiO₂ which is mechanically strong by firing at low temperature such as 200°C. The synthesized TiO₂ has larger specific surface area and retards the phase transition from anatase to rutile compared with that prepared from the peptization with nitric acid. The S-content of the TiO₂ fired at 200°C was 1.52 wt.%; the value has a maximum of 2.74 wt.% at 400°C. The XPS measurements indicate that S exists mainly as SO₄^2?. The TiO₂ fired at 400°C showed the highest photocatalytic activity for ethylene degradation. Especially, we would like to emphasize the TiO₂ sintered at 200°C because they are extremely hard in spite of such a low sintering temperature. This photocatalyst may provide a great opportunity for extensive applications as self-supporting membranes.