Abstract
Fluoroalkyl end-capped vinyltrimethoxysilane oligomer [RF-(VM)n-RF] underwent the sol-gel reaction under alkaline conditions in the presence of anatase titanium oxide nanoparticles (an-TiO2) in tetrahy-drofuran to give the corresponding fluorinated oligomer/anatase titanium oxide nanocomposites [RF-(VM-SiO2)n-RF/an-TiO2]. Crystalline structure of an-TiO2 in the nanocomposites thus obtained was found to keep completely its structure without phase transformation to rutile even after calcination at 1000 C, although crystalline structure of the original an-TiO2 nanoparticles underwent a complete phase transformation to the rutile under similar conditions. Interestingly, RF-(VM-SiO2)n-RF/an-TiO2 nanocomposites before and after calcination at 1000 C exhibited the similar photocatalytic activity for the decolorization of methylene blue under UV light irradiation.