Photocatalytic properties of coatings sprayed from TiOx and Tin-2Cr2O2n-1 powders by APS and VPS

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has emerged as an excellent photocatalyst material for environmental purification about two decades ago but only recently few works have focused on the photocatalytic properties of sprayed titanium oxide coatings. So far, the role of oxygen deficiency which can appear as a result of the spray process or by use of titanium suboxide powders on the photocatalytic activity has not been investigated. Also the possible influence of the shear plane structure of titanium suboxides (Magnéli phases) on the photocatalytic activity was not taken into consideration. In the present work, the photocatalytic properties of three powders and coatings sprayed from these powders by APS and VPS are investigated: (1) a commercial fused and crushed titanium oxide powder, (2) an agglomerat ed and sintered titanium suboxide powder consisting predominantly of Magnéli phases Ti6O11 and Ti5O9, (3) an agglomerated and sintered powder consisting of Ti2C r2O7 and Ti6Cr2O15 (Magnéli phases in the TiO2- Cr2O3 phase diagram). The phase compositions of the powders and the coatings were investigated by X-ray diffraction. Neither for the spray powders nor for the coatings any ability to reduce the NOx concentration by the photocatalysis was found. From this it is concluded t hat both oxygen deficiency as well as Magnéli phase structure are not responsible for photocatalytic properties of materials in the Ti-O phase diagram