Photocatalytic properties of TiO₂/Si-NPA nano composite systems

A new composite system is fabricated by depositing the TiO₂ film on a silicon nanoporous pillar array (Si-NPA) and annealing at 500°C using the spin coating method. Such a composite system exhibits a uniform morphology with the micron-dimension pillar array. Photocatalytic properties are investigated based on the degradation of methyl orange dye solution, and the results show that the photocatalytic efficiency of such a nano-composite system is 1.7 times that of the TiO₂/glass system. The enhancement of photocatalytic efficiency is attributed to the large surface area of the TiO₂/Si-NPA system.