Formation of nanostructured functional elements in TiO₂-PVTMS-Ag-La nanocomposites for photocatalytic application

The nanoparticles are composed of tens or hundreds of atoms or molecules with different sizes and morphologies (amorphous, crystalline, spherical, needle-shaped, etc.). Most of commercially used nanoparticles are in the form of dry powder or liquid. Of course, nanoparticles combined in an organic or aqueous solution in the form of a suspension or paste are also of interest. Photocatalysts are the group of catalysts that act when exposed to light. Photocatalysts are usually solid semiconductor oxides in which the absorption of photons creates electron-hole pairs that can react with molecules on the surface to produce active radicals. Nowadays, the nanocomposites have attracted the attention of many researchers due to their special properties, their many technological applications, unique absorption, photocatalysis and antimicrobial properties, and their use in the elimination of bacteria. In this research, TiO₂-PVTMS-Ag-La nanocomposites with different stoichiometric proportions were synthesised as a disrupting agent and photocatalyst using the sol-gel method. The samples were calcined at a temperature of 700 ^°C and then characterizations consisting of XRD was performed. The degradation and photocatalytic effect of TiO₂-PVTMS-Ag-La nanocomposites on methylene blue dye were studied. As a result, the nanocomposites TiO₂ (80 wt.%)-PVTMS (7 wt.%)-Ag (2 wt.%)-La (11 wt.%) showed degradation properties.