Bandgap modulation of TiO2 and its effect on the activity in photocatalytic oxidation of 2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinol

Abstract

Nano-size TiO2 particles were obtained using various mesoporous materials and the particle sizes were determined by the pore sizes of mesoporous materials. The bandgap increments due to quantum size effect were observed in both anatase TiO2 and rutile TiO2. The bandgap increment in anatase TiO2 did not affect the efficiency of photocatalytic oxidation of 2-isopropyl-6-methyl-4- pyrimidinol. However, the bandgap increment in rutile TiO2 enhanced the photocatalytic activity by virtue of the increase in redox potential of TiO2.