"Nanocomposites and nanomaterials"

Mechanochemistry as a method of obtaining nanomaterials with photocatalytic properties 
Kucio K.1, Charmas B.1, Zięzio M.1
1 Department of Chromatographic Methods, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie - Sklodowska University, Maria Curie-Sklodowska Sq.3, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
E-mail: karolina.kucio@poczta.umcs.lublin.pl

Intensive industrial development and economic progress contribute to the increase of environment pollution. Nowadays polluted waters are a huge problem. Photocatalytic processes are of great interest and cause the mineralization of organic pollutants to simple inorganic compounds. During the production of photocatalysts, toxic chemicals are often used which additionally have a negative impact on the environment.
Mechanochemistry is one of the methods used for producing photocatalysts which is environmentally friendly. This term refers to the chemical and physico-chemical transformations that take place in the substances affected by mechanical energy [1]. This method does not require the use of solvents, high temperature and elevated pressure [2]. Energy which is created during milling can initiate chemical reactions. During the collision of the grinding balls, the particles of powdered substrates are repeatedly crushed, flattened and rewelded. The mechanochemical synthesis allows to prepare new materials with the desired properties, including photocatalytic ones [1,2]. 
The aim of the research was to obtain composite materials based on TiO2 with different contents of selected transition metals. The use of transition metals as dopping substances causes the shift of the absorption band of the obtained composite towards the visible range. Photocatalytic activity of the obtained materials was studied as regards to Safranin T.

1.	Suryanarayana C., Ivanov E., Boldyrev V. V. The science and technology of mechanical alloying // Materials Science and Engineering.- 2001.-304.- P. 151-158
2.	Molchanov V. V., Buyanov R. A. Scientific grounds for the application of mechanochemistry to catalyst preparation // Kinetics and Catalysis.-2001.-42.-P. 366-374.