Substrate with photocatalytic coating

• US 7,387,839 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Rondet, Mauricette, Garrec, Ronan, Petit, Jean-Pierre, Denoyelle, Alain, Wouters, Yves, Gueneau, Lethicia
• Primary Examiner(s): BLACKWELL, GWENDOLYN
• Application Number:
  US10/477,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20040180220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 428/428, 428/432, 428/698, 428/701, 428/702, 428/704
• US Class Current: 428/428
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/007 containing a dispersed phase, e.g. particles, fibres or flakes, in a continuous phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/45 Inorganic continuous phases
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/477 Titanium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/71 Photocatalytic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1216 Metal oxides C23C18/1212 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1254 Sol or sol-gel processing
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/127 Preformed particles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1279 performed under reactive atmosphere, e.g. oxidising or reducing atmospheres
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a substrate provided on at least part of at least one of its faces with a coating having photocatalytic properties, containing photocatalytic titanium oxide, especially crystallized in the anatase form, in an essentially mineral binder comprising at least one semiconducting metal oxide.

The subject of the invention is also a process for obtaining said substrate, especially by thermal decomposition of precursors or by a vacuum deposition technique.

Claims

1. A substrate having on at least part of at least one face a coating having photocatalytic properties, wherein the coating consists essentially of photocatalytic titanium oxide and a mineral binder, wherein the mineral binder comprises at least one semiconducting metal oxide, wherein the mineral binder has substantially no photocatalytic activity and wherein at least one of the semiconducting metal oxide(s) is doped.

2. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the photocatalytic titanium oxide is formed during formation of the coating.

3. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the semiconducting metal oxides of the binder has an electrical resistivity of less than or equal to 10⁸ ohm.cm.

4. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the semiconducting metal oxides of the binder is catalytic with respect to the reduction of oxygen.

5. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the semiconducting metal oxides of the binder:

has the lowest energy level of its conduction band, which is less than or equal to the lowest energy level of the conduction band of the photocatalytic titanium oxide; and

is close to the most probable electron energy level of the oxygen in the O₂/H₂O₂ and/or O₂/H₂O redox couple.

6. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the semiconducting metal oxides of the binder is a titanium oxide, tin oxide, antimony oxide, zinc oxide, tungsten oxide, cobalt oxide, nickel oxide, nickel and cobalt mixed oxide, or a mixed manganite and cobaltite oxide.

7. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the semiconducting metal oxides of the binder is zirconium oxide or aluminum oxide.

8. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder is a mixture of zirconium oxide or titanium oxide with silicon oxide.

9. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one thin layer having any of an optical function, a thermal function or the ability to act as a barrier to the migration of species diffusing from the substrate is present between said substrate and the coating having photocatalytic properties.

10. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, comprising a transparent material of glass or polymer, or a ceramic, tile, brick, wood, metal, cement, stone, a fibrous material of insulating glass wool or an assembly of glass reinforcing yams.

11. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photocatalytic titanium oxide is in the anatase form.

12. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semiconducting metal oxides of the binder are doped with a metal or a halogen.

13. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the photocatalytic titanium oxide is present in the coating in the form of preformed particles.

14. The substrate as claimed in claim 13, wherein the pre-formed particles are of nanometric size.

15. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the semiconducting metal oxides of the binder:

has the lowest energy level of its conduction band, which is greater than the lowest level of the conduction band of the photocatalytic titanium oxide; and

has electron states in the band gap.

16. The substrate as claimed in claim 15, wherein the electron states in the band gap are associated with structural defects, pendent bonds, or both.

17. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder further comprises an electrically insulating compound.

18. The substrate as claimed in claim 17, wherein the electrically insulating compound is a silicon derivative.

19. The substrate as claimed in claim 17, wherein the electrically insulating compound is a silicon derivative selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxycarbide or silicon nitride.

20. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the content of the semiconducting metal oxide in the binder is at least 25% by weight.

21. The substrate as claimed in claim 20, wherein the content of the semiconducting metal oxide in the binder is at least 50% by weight and up to 100% by weight.

22. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio by weight of the photocatalytic titanium oxide to the binder R_TiO2/binder is between 10/90 and 60/40.

23. The substrate as claimed in claim 22, wherein the R_TiO2/binder is between 10/90 and 50/50.

24. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the amount of titanium oxide present in the coating is from 5 to 100 μ

g/cm².

25. The substrate as claimed in claim 24, wherein the amount of titanium oxide present in the coating is from 10-50 μ

g/cm².

26. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photocatalytic activity of the coating is at least 2 nm/h/(μ

g/cm²), relative to the total amount of titanium oxide of said coating.

27. The substrate as claimed in claim 26, wherein the photocatalytic activity of the coating is at least 5 nm/h/(μ

g/cm²).

28. The substrate as claimed in claim 26, wherein the photocatalytic activity of the coating is at least 20 nm/h/(μ

g/cm²).

29. The substrate as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is an architectural material.

30. The substrate as claimed in claim 29, wherein the architectural material is selected from the group consisting of a glazing, a roofing, a cladding, a floor, a false ceiling material, an oven wall, and a glazed wall.