Titanium oxide xerogel films in porous aluminum oxide for photocatalytic application

We have used the sol-gel method to synthesize titanium dioxide in the pores of an anodic aluminum oxide membrane. The samples were used for the test reaction of degradation of the organic dye rhodamine B. The concentration of the dye rhodamine B was monitored from the change in the absorption spectra in the 554 nm region, for an aqueous solution containing the dye and exposed to the emission from a mercury lamp. The synthesized samples of titanium oxide xerogel in the porous anodic aluminum oxide membrane are efficient photocatalysts for decomposition of organic dyes in an aqueous medium. (authors)