Novel EPS/TiO2 Nanocomposite Prepared from Recycled Polystyrene

G. M. Herrera-Sandoval, D. B. Baez-Angarita, S. N. Correa-Torres, O. M. Primera-Pedrozo, S. P. Hernández-Rivera

Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Mayagüez, USA.
School of Science and Technology, Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, PR..

DOI: 10.4236/msa.2013.43021                

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.

Keywords

Nanocomposite; Expanded Polystyrene; TiO2; Photodegradation; Methylene Blue

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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