Photocatalytic decomposition of orange II over TiO2-loaded on SBA-15 prepared using a microwave process

SBA-15 mesoporous material was prepared by microwave-hydrothermal method and was used as support in TiO2-loaded SBA-15 photocatalysts. The physical properties of these particles were investigated. We also examined the activity of these samples as photocatalysts for the decomposition of orange II. Titania loaded on a silica matrix decreases the surface area of the support as expected for TiO2 incorporation. For TiO2-loaded SBA-15 photocatalysts, the IR absorption at similar to 960 cm(-1) commonly accepted as the characteristic vibration of the Ti-O-Si bond. The photocatalytic activity increases with an increase of the TiO2 loading.