Solar active self-cleaning and air purifying coatings using plasmon embedded titania.

Soot is considered to be the second-largest contributor to global excess radiative forcing after CO2 and deemed responsible for 7 million premature deaths annually according to WHO. We propose an efficient photocatalyst for soot degradation (with simultaneous NOx reduction), using solar light as energy input. Photocatalytic oxidation is often achieved with TiO2 as photo-active material. The main drawback of TiO2 is its large band gap, which limits the overall solar light response to the UV region of the spectrum. Plasmonic photocatalysis using noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) has emerged as a promising technology to expand the activity window of traditional photocatalysts to the entire UV-visible light region of the solar spectrum. In this project, gold and silver NPs will be merged to overcome their individual limitations and form stable bimetallic NPs with highly tuneable plasmonic properties over a wide wavelength range. These plasmonic NPs will be embedded in TiO2 coatings. The plasmonic enhancement of photocatalytic air purifying and selfcleaning coatings will be studied in the laboratory by FTIR spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, digital imaging analysis and action spectrum analysis, as well as through real-life validation experiments in different cities, that illustrate the relevance of this research to the broader audience and potential investors. The proposed technology will be developed from TRL 2/3 to 5 including a CEA and possible recycling options.

Keywords:AIR PURIFICATION, SELF-CLEANING, PHOTOCATALYSIS, TITANIUM

Disciplines:Catalysis, Photochemistry, Nanomaterials, Environmental technologies

Project type:Collaboration project