Fabrication of metallic platinum doped ordered mesoporous titania–silica materials with excellent simulated sunlight and visible light photocatalytic activity

A facile method to prepare metallic platinum doped ordered mesoporous titania–silica materials (Pt–TiO2/SiO2) was demonstrated by using P123 as the soft template. The materials exhibited anatase and rutile biphase with the ratio of 63:37; meanwhile, they possessed 2D hexagonal p6mm structure with large pore size and high surface area. Pt–TiO2/SiO2 materials were used as efficient photocatalysts to degrade two aqueous light insensitive compounds, p-nitrophenol and bisphenol A, under the light irradiation in the region of 320–680 nm (simulated sunlight) and 400–680 nm (visible light). For comparison, 3D interconnected Pt–TiO2/SiO2, Pt-free TiO2/SiO2, and pure TiO2 were also tested under the identical conditions. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the ordered mesoporous Pt–TiO2/SiO2 was obtained and then explained in terms of unique porosity, anatase and rutile biphase structure, and strong electron capturing ability as well as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption of metallic Pt.