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6.2.5 Applications and perspectives

Photocatalytic products containing nano-TiO2 are already commercially available. In Japan around 2,000 companies in the country are undertaking research and development in this area. China is also taking a big interest in photocatalytic products. Photocatalytic products may serve several purposes. Most products are not developed for environmental remediation reasons but for selfcleaning effects or hygenic reasons. Commercially available products are thus mainly air filters (for indoor air in private households, offices etc.), tiles (for use in hospitals and bathrooms etc.), coating sprays for different materials (e.g. used in public transportation, households etc.) and water purifiers (also disinfection). It has to be noted though that there are no standardized and validated methods yet to analyse the products of the photocatalytic conversion (see previous chapter).

In Europe a number of commercial applications are currently available, mostly based on self cleaning coatings e.g. self cleaning glass, self cleaning tiles, anti-fogging glass and air purifiers. It is probably due to cultural differences that the use of nano-photocatalytic materials is not yet as widespread as in Asia. It is expected that a legal standard for indoor air quality in Europe would greatly increase investigations on the efficiency of photocatalytic systems for air purification.

A newly investigated field of application are nano-enhanced molecular sieves. Nano-enhanced molecular sieves may remove for example VOCs from air. Most interesting for environmental applications are mesoporous molecular sieves with a pore size of 2-50nm. It has been reported that titanium or manganese enhance the catalytic performance of the sieves.

http://www.nanomagazine.co.uk/readArticle.php?id=44

A Canadian company advertises “hygienic photocatalyst coatings” which are supposed to “transform any surface into anti-bacterial; anti-fungal; mold free surface” and “purify your surrounding air and protect your building interior and exterior from environmental contamination”. The coating incorporates “light activated Nano Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) which assists in deactivation of bio-contamination”. They promote their product for air purification (for indoor VOCs and other air quality pollutants and for the key component of air purification equipment) as well as for the deodorization http://www.mchnanosolutions.com/.