One‐Pot Synthesis and Photocatalysis of Encapsulated TiO₂ in Mesoporous SiO₂

Nano TiO 2 particles encapsulated in mesoporous SiO 2 materials (abbreviated as TiO 2 /MS) were prepared by incorporating the nano‐sized TiO 2 particles in the pore‐directing micelles during the cooperative assembly of silica precursor and surfactant. The materials were characterized with X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission and scanning electron microcopies (TEM and SEM), N 2 sorption, ICP‐MS and UV‐Vis spectroscopy. XRD patterns showed that titania was in the anatase phase. The results of TEM and N 2 sorption studies confirmed the deposition of nano‐sized particles inside the mesopores of silica material without destroying their integrity. UV‐Vis spectra showed blue shift of the absorption edge for TiO 2 /MS relative to bulk anatase. When used as photocatalysts, TiO 2 /MS showed similar activity as anatase TiO 2 in photo‐degradation of phenol. However, lower activity than anatase TiO 2 was observed in photo‐degradation of lipase, implying that most of the nano‐sized TiO 2 were encapsulated inside the mesopores of silica.