To provide a glass ceramic bead whose surface is excellent in durability and which has a crystal phase of one or more titanium oxides selected from the group consisting of an anatase type, a rutile type and a brookite type or an inorganic titanium phosphate compound and to provide a photocatalytic functional member containing the glass ceramic bead.
The glass ceramic bead includes one or more kinds selected from among TiO2, TiP2O7, (TiO)2P2O7, RnTi2(PO4)3, RTi4(PO4)6 and these solid solutions as the crystal phase. Furthermore, it is favorable that the TiO2 crystal of the anatase type is contained and photocatalytic characteristics are based on these crystals. The glass ceramic bead which does not form a photocatalytic functional layer by embrocation, coating or the like and where a material itself composing the bead has photocatalytic characteristics is utilized semipermanently without the anxiety of degradation by the peeling or the like of the functional layer.
Hayashi Ichiyoshi
Yuichi Niiyama