Effect of calcination temperature on the textural properties and photocatalytic activities of highly ordered cubic mesoporous WO3/TiO2 films.

Highly organized cubic mesoporous WO3/TiO2 films were successfully prepared by evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process, employing triblock copolymer as template. The characterization results by XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-Vis. spectrophotometry, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms reveal that the mesoporous films are made up of well-defined 3-D cubic (lm3m space group) mesoporous structure and nanocrystalline anatase frameworks with high surface area, uniform pore sizes and excellent optical transparency. Photocatalytic properties of the mesoporous WO3/TiO2 films in decomposing gaseous 2-propanol to CO2 were analyzed as a function of calcinations temperature. The highest photocatalytic activity was obtained for the films calcined at 450 degrees C, which possess an appropriate crystallinity and relevant ordering of mesoporous structure. It was found that that long-range ordering of mesopores is one of the important factors in determining the photocatalytic degradation of gaseous organics.