Quartz–titania composites for the photocatalytical modification of construction materials

In this paper the synthesis of photocatalytically modified core–shell composites is reported. The synthesis was realized by hydrolysis and condensation of tetrapropylorthotitanate on ground quartz, which is used as an additive in mortar and concrete. This allowed a controlled growth of titania layers on the particles with different thicknesses. The efficiency of the coating process was studied by interpretation of XRF results. The morphology of the composites was analyzed via SEM. Photoactivity of the particles was studied by analyzing the titania crystal phases of the shell (XRD) and calculating the photonic efficiency of NO-degradation measurements. Moreover methylene blue degradation was performed to reflect the self cleaning properties of the composite materials.