Preparation of TiO₂-diatomite composites by ball-milling and its photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange

TiO₂-diatomite composites were prepared using a two–stage ball-milling technique and they were subsequently characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and FTIR, showing that nanotitania had been successfully supported on the surface of diatomite. The as-prepared TiO₂–diatomite composites were used to decompose methyl orange (MO). Good degradation efficiency was observed. The effects of milling conditions, such as milling time of diatomite suspension, the diatomite particle concentration in suspension, weight ratio of ball-to-powder, milling time of the mixed TiO₂-diatomite suspension and dosage of titania, on photocatalytic degradation performance were systematically examined for the sake of achieving the best efficiency.