Preparation of asymmetric pure titania ceramic membranes with dual functions

The asymmetric 100% titania membranes have been prepared by a reproducible sol-coated process assisting with a combined drying method and modified sintering technique. The pretreated rutile granules resulted in better green strength in extrudate and favorably sintered at a relative low temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that the prepared titania supports possess uniform microstructures with good interconnectivity between grains due to the optimized preparation conditions. The supports exhibit narrower pore size distribution centered at pore diameter 2.10 μm, excellent chemical stability and higher fluid permeation. Moreover, the results show that the asymmetric membranes with a pore size ca. 0.10 μm and active layer thickness of 15.0–20.0 μm have desired fluid permeation along with remarkable in situ photocatalysis. These primary measurements imply such ceramic membranes may be envisaged as a promising separation media for the treatment of industrial effluents.