Influence of annealing on photocatalytic performance and adhesion of vacuum cold-sprayed nanostructured TiO₂ coating

Composite powder was prepared using primary nanoTiO₂ powder and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The nanoTiO₂ coating was deposited through vacuum cold spray using both the composite powder and the primary nanopowder. The influence of annealing on the coating adhesion and photocatalytic activity was investigated. The coating adhesion was evaluated through erosion test by water jet. The photocatalytic performance of the coatings was evaluated through photodegradation of phenol in water. Results showed that annealing of the coating at a temperature from 450 to 500 °C yielded both higher activity and better adhesion. The adhesion of the coating deposited using the composite powder was better than that using the primary nanoTiO₂ powder. It was found that the TiO₂ coating, resulting from the composite powder, presented much higher activity than that deposited with the primary nanopowder. The better activity is attributed to the existence of large pores resulting from the stacking of composite powder, which benefits the reactants' transportation through the porous coating.