Incorporation of TiO 2 and TiO 2 -Ag nanoparticles in recycled high-density polyethylene: Effect of the type of photocatalyst and incorporation method on photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of NO

Abstract

methods extrusion and plasma immersion process. The first incorporation technique was introducing the nanoparticles during extrusion; this allowed us to obtain photocatalyst/HDPEr composites. The second technique was to deposit the photocatalyst nanoparticles on the surface of the polymer film by a two-step process: air plasma treatment and immersion in an aqueous photocatalyst suspension. The composites obtained by extrusion presented a higher Young’s modulus than that from neat HDPEr. It was due to the reinforcing effect of the nanoparticles, which was more significant after the incorporation of TiO₂ nanoparticles. On the other hand, nanoparticle deposition on the polymeric film surface did not significantly affect Young’s modulus. Regarding the photocatalytic activity, the films obtained by extrusion exhibited poor performance; however, the photocatalyst deposition on films increased the NOx photodegradation. TiO₂-Ag nanoparticles exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity; thus, the polymeric film with TiO₂-Ag nanoparticles embedded in the surface presented the highest activity (~ 23.67% of NOx photodegradation). Based on this background, this work provides valuable insights into the potential of these novel materials to be used as building panels capable of removing air pollutants through photocatalytic processes.