Photoionization of $TiO_2$ Particles Incorporated into Silica Gels Studied by EPR Spectroscopy

Titanium dioxide particles with three different average sizes, prepared by three different methods, were incorporated into silica gel pores by impregnation. The titanium dioxide incorporated into the silica gel pores was photoionized by 240-400 nm irradiation at 77 K by a one-photon process to from trapped hole centers on OH group and trapped electron centers on titanium which were detected by electron paramagnetic resonance at 77 K. During the impregnation the smallest size range of TiO2 particles can be incorporated into silica gels with 2.5-1.5 nm pores. However, the largest size range of TiO2 particles can only be incorporated into silica gels with 6-15 nm pores and not into silica gels with 2.5-4 nm pores. The photoyield and stability of photoinduced hole and electron centers depends on the silica pore sizes of silica gels and surface area as well as on the TiO2 loading. In large pore silica gels and large particle size of TiO2, photoinduced charge separation reaches to a plateau at shorter irradiation times and the trapped hole and electron centers are more stable to decay.