Micro-TiO2 as Photocatalyst For New Ceramic Surfaces

Nowadays pollution is one of the biggest concerns of both the public and different governments because it is risky for the safety of the every habitat. Among the AOPs, photocatalysis is one of the most promising and TiO2 is the best semiconductor able to oxidize pollutants; especially, it can be applied on materials: TiO2-photocatalytic surfaces might play a major role in cleaning environments. Industrial photocatalytic tiles are commercially available but the classical preparation consists in the deposition of TiO2 by airless spray, sometimes without a good powder’s distribution. The digital printing was exploited as a new tool to manufacture photocatalytic tiles even of very large size, in order to solve this issue. Crucial is the use of micro-TiO2 instead of nano: some tests on the animals have reported that NPs are dangerous and the high difficulty of handling is not convenient in industrial uses. The surface of the photoactive slabs was analyzed by HR-SEM showing an excellent uniformity. Photocatalytic degradation tests performed in air using both NOx and VOCs molecules confirm the good performances of the tiles to tackle the environment pollution.