Characterization of TiO2, and Polymethylmethacrylate Nanofilms and Nanocomposites for Archaeological Buildings

Archaeological buildings form the urban core of historical cities as a sign of urban life in society. Nanotechnology started to preserve heritage buildings. This study aimed to synthesize an optimal N: Ni: TiO2 photocatalyst, from TiO2 nanoparticles, as a nanofilm on chromatic tile surface and the N: Ni: TiO2/Polymethyl methacrylate as nanocomposite film on bricks for respiration functionality. The nanofilm and nanocomposite were synthesized and coated on historical samples to reduce the impact of Volatile Organic Components (VOC) and water penetration. The nanocatalyst was characterized using different techniques. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed the Ti-O-Ti stretching vibration absorption mode and N and Ni ions in the TiO2 lattice. The X-ray diffraction analysis patterns exposed the anatase main peak and signs of dopants. The Scanning electron microscopy analysis was carried out N: Ni: TiO2 (0.024:0.024:0.27 with 0.8 M nitric acid and retention time of 20s) (E), nanoparticles with an average size of 48.48 nm. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis spectrometer confirmed Ti, O, N, and Ni bonding in a N: Ni: TiO2(E) photocatalyst. The co-dopants and single-bond dopants were found to be uniformly distributed in TiO2 matrix. The UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed, an increase in visible light absorption by N: Ni: TiO2(E) when the wavelength was >400 nm. It was mainly due to the change in electron trap ability using N/Ni. In addition, Ni-N-TiO2 nanoparticles show enhanced activity compared with Ni-TiO2. Also, results show Ni and N co-doped TiO2 is a promising photocatalyst to degrade methylene blue under visible light. For N: Ni: TiO2 (E)= (0.024: 0.0099:0.27 M loading), with 0.8 M nitric acid and retention time of 10s films, Methylene blue degradation on white and violet chromatic tiles were 63% and 30% respectively. The antibacterial degradation test showed cut off of E. coli colonies’ growth on the tile surface.