Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2 Coatings Obtained at Room Temperature on a Polymethyl Methacrylate Substrate

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) coatings have a wide range of applications. Anatase exhibits hydrophilic, antimicrobial, and photocatalytic properties for the degradation of organic pollutants or water splitting. The main challenge is to obtain durable anatase nanoparticle coatings on plastic substrates by using straightforward approaches. In the present study, we revealed the preparation of a transparent TiO₂ coating on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), widely used for organic optical fibres as well as other polymer substrates such as polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polycarbonate (PC). The films were spin-coated at room temperature without annealing; therefore, our approach can be used for thermo-sensitive substrates. The deposition was successful due to the use of stripped ultra-small (<4 nm) TiO₂ particles. Coatings were studied for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants such as MB, methyl orange (MO), and rhodamine B (RB) under UV light. The TiO₂ coating on PMMA degraded over 80% of RB in 300 min under a 365 nm, 100 W mercury lamp, showing a degradation rate constant of 6 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹. The coatings were stable and showed no significant decrease in degradation activity even after five cycles.