Study of a Photodegradant Polymeric Composite Containing TiO2 and Glass Residue

Pedro de Almeida  Carísio; José Anceloann Lago Grande  Martins; João Fernando  Dias; Geraldo Batista  de Melo

doi:10.4236/ojce.2017.74037

Pedro de Almeida Carísio¹, José Anceloann Lago Grande Martins¹, Geraldo Batista de Melo², João Fernando Dias¹

Abstract: Photodegradation or photocatalysis is a chemical degradation process that occurs when an inorganic semiconductor is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light (wavelength 320 - 400 nm) has enough energy to detach an electron from the last layer of the semiconductor, leading to the conduction band, leaving a hole in the valence band. In these bands, chemical reduction and oxidation reactions occur, respectively. These reactions degrade diverse surface dirt, dissociating them into simpler and less offensive substances such as CO₂ and H₂O. In this work, we studied the potential of photocatalysis of a composite based on a semiconductor encapsulated in epoxy resin, in the degradation of Staphylococcus aureus, pathogen with a high degree of hospital contamination, in order to apply it to the construction in hospital facilities. The experiments were carried out with a fabrication of only epoxy resin tablets and tablets with the composite, at various concentrations of the semiconductor and glass powder. Through contamination of these tablets and their exposure to sunlight and the ambient light, contamination on their surfaces was verified. The results indicated potential photodegradation capacity of the composite.

Keywords: Photodegradation, Semiconductor, Epoxy Resin, Composite

Cite this paper: Carísio, P. , Martins, J. , de Melo, G. and Dias, J. (2017) Study of a Photodegradant Polymeric Composite Containing TiO₂ and Glass Residue. Open Journal of Civil Engineering, 7, 553-560. doi: 10.4236/ojce.2017.74037.

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