Coating composition

1. A composition for coating walls, facades, or the like, comprising:

at least one binder; and

at least one photocatalytically-active substance with a significant light absorption at one or more absorption wavelength in a range of about 380 nm to about 500 nm, wherein said photocatalytically active substance comprises titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) which is doped, at least in part, with one or more of sulfur (S) and carbon (C);

wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has a specific surface of about 100 to about 250 m 2 /g.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the light absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) for the photocatalytically-active substance to the absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) of the binder at one or more absorption wavelengths in the range of about 380 nm to about 500 nm is greater than about 6.25×10 −3 .

3. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the ratio is greater than about 1×10 −2 .

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein at one or more absorption wavelengths in the range of about 380 nm to about 500 nm, the binder has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) of less than about 0.8, and the photocatalytically-active substance has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) of more than about 0.005.

5. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the absorbance of the binder is less than about 0.5.

6. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) of more than about 0.01.

7. The composition of claim 6 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) of more than about 0.02.

8. The composition of claim 4 , wherein at one or more absorption wavelengths in the range of about 400 nm to about 450 nm, the binder has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) of less than about 0.8, and the photocatalytically-active substance has an absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) of more than about 0.005.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the binder includes at least one organic component and/or at least one inorganic component.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the TiO 2 is present essentially in an anatase phase.

11. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the TiO 2 is doped, at least in part, with the one or more of S and Cessentially on a surface layer of the TiO 2 .

12. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the TiO 2 is doped, at least in part, with nitrogen.

13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes about 0.05 to about 4 percent by weight of the one or more of S and C.

14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes about 0.05 to about 2 percent by weight of the one or more of S and C.

15. The composition of claim 14 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes about 0.4 to about 1.5 percent by weight of the one or more of S and C.

16. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance includes about 0.4 to about 0.8 percent by weight of the one or more of S and C.

17. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance exhibits a peak at a bond energy of about 285.6 eV having an intensity greater than an intensity of the oxygen is peak at about 530 eV, as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

18. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising one or more additives selected from the group comprising a dispersing agent, a thickening agent, an anti-foaming agent, a pigment, a filler, a hydrophobization agent, and a microbiocide.

19. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is a supercritical composition in which a solid fraction including solids is adjusted to a liquid fraction such that the solids are incompletely wetted.

20. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising one or more adsorption agents selected from the group comprising activated charcoal, silicic acid, microsilica, silica gel, zeolite, bentonite, diatomaceous earth, and foamed glass.

21. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance exhibits essentially one signal for a g value of about 1.97 to about 2.05, as measured by electron spin resonance at a temperature of about 5 K.

22. The composition of claim 21 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance exhibits essentially one signal for a g value of about 2.002 to about 2.004, as measured by electron spin resonance at a temperature of about 5 K.

23. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 ) proportional to the absorbance for the photocatalytically active substance at or about 500 nm is about 50% of the value at or about 400 nm, and at or about 600 nm is about 20% of the value at or about 400 nm.

24. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the light absorbance (Kubelka-Munk function F (R 00 )) for the photocatalytically-active substance at or about 500 nm is about 50% of the value at or about 400 nm, and at or about 600 nm is about 20% of the value at or about 400 nm.

25. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition has a photoactivity of at least about 20%.

26. The composition of claim 25 , wherein the composition has a photoactivity of at least about 40%.

27. The composition of claim 26 , wherein the composition has a photoactivity of at least about 50%.

28. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance exhibits substantially no carbonate bands as measured by a selected one or more of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy.

29. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has a specific surface of about 130 to about 200 m 2 /g.

30. The composition of claim 29 , wherein the photocatalytically-active substance has a specific surface of about 130 to about 170 m 2 /g.