TITLE:
Novel EPS/TiO2 Nanocomposite Prepared from Recycled Polystyrene
AUTHORS:
G. M. Herrera-Sandoval, D. B. Baez-Angarita, S. N. Correa-Torres, O. M. Primera-Pedrozo, S. P. Hernández-Rivera
KEYWORDS:
Nanocomposite; Expanded Polystyrene; TiO2; Photodegradation; Methylene Blue
JOURNAL NAME:
Materials Sciences and Applications,
Vol.4 No.3,
March
29,
2013
ABSTRACT: The synthesis and characterization of a new nanocomposite material that was prepared from recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) is reported here. The EPS was obtained from chemical reagent box insulation. To obtain the nanocomposite, these materials were dispersed in a solvent, mixed with TiCl4 and heated. The resulting new material was characterized with SEM, TEM, TGA, BET, Raman and IR techniques. The Raman and IR spectra provided complementary information regarding the structure of the nanocomposite. The Raman spectra were used to identify the crystalline structure of TiO2 in the nanocomposite. In contrast, the IR spectra were used to identify the organic portion of the nanocomposite. The TEM images indicated that the nanocomposites had an average particle size of 6 - 12 nm. In addition, the adsorption and photocatalytic properties of the new material were evaluated. The EPS/TiO2 nanocomposite was efficient at degrading methylene blue (MB) dye solutions under UV irradiation. Furthermore, according to thermal analysis, this material had greater polymer stability due to the incorporation of TiO2.