Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of Porphyrin Tin(IV) Sensitized TiO2 Nanoparticles for the Degradation of 4-Nitrophenol and Methyl Orange

A stable metalloporphyrin sensitized TiO₂ (Degussa P25) photocatalyst was prepared by using trans-dihydroxo[5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin]tin(IV) (SnP) as a sensitizer in a simple impregnation process. The solid diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrum of the SnP sensitized TiO₂ photocatalyst (SnP-TiO₂) indicated that there existed interaction between SnP and TiO₂. It was found that SnP-TiO₂ exhibited an enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity as compared with that over P25 for the degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solutions. The mechanism exploration showed that the degradation of MO and 4-NP experienced two different ways, that is, MO was photodegraded by reactive oxygen species and 4-NP was directly photodegraded by the excited state of SnP. Furthermore, it was found that the loading content of SnP had an important influence on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂. The maximum photocatalytic efficiency was achieved when the contents of SnP were 25 mg and 30 mg per gram TiO₂ for MO and 4-NP, respectively. Importantly, SnP-TiO₂ was particularly stable and the photocatalytic activity was hardly decreased after being recycled seven times in the presence of oxygen, which could be attributed to the easy reductive regeneration of SnP.     

Enhanced and suppressed effects of ionic liquid on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2

The effects of a room temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium terafluoroborate ([Bmim]BF₄), on the photocatalytic performance of Degussa P25 TiO₂ were investigated. Also, the photocatalysis mechanism was systematically analyzed by conducting different reactive radical trapping experiments. The results showed that photogenerated electrons were the main reactive species involved in the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO), while ?OH radicals and photogenerated holes played an important role in the photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B (RhB). The addition of ionic liquid (IL) could slightly enhance the photocatalytic degradation rate of MO because adsorption of [Bmim]⁺ ions on the TiO₂ surface not only enhanced traping and transfer of photogenerated electrons, but also facilitated adsorption of negatively charged MO. On the contrary, IL suppressed the degradation rate of RhB because [Bmim]⁺ on the TiO₂ surface not only hindered the access of positively charged RhB to TiO₂, but also restricted the diffusion of positively charged holes to the TiO₂/solution interface.     

Low Temperature Solvent Evaporation-induced Crystallization Synthesis of Nanocrystalline TiO2 Photocatalyst

A novel and efficient methodology for obtaining highly active photocatalyst of bi-phase TiO2 with small particle size and high specific surface area was developed by solvent evaporation-in-duced crystallization (SEIC) method at low temperature. The prepared TiO2 powder was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and BET surface areas. The photocatalyfic activity was evaluated by the photocatalyflc oxidation of acetone in air. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 powder preDared by this method approached that of Degnssa P25. This may be atotributed to the fact that the predated TiO2 powder had larzer specific surface areas (265 m2. g- 1 ) and smaller crystallite size (about 5 nm), but relatively low crystallinity, as compared with Degussa P25.     

Improved visible light photocatalytic activity of titania loaded with silver on discoloration of a heterocyclic aromatic chemical dye solution

The photocatalytic activity of silver deposited Degussa P25 titanium dioxide (Ag-DP25) in the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) was investigated. The as-prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), infrared spectra and surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) techniques. The obtained results show that the silver dopant could effectively inhibit the recombination of the photoinduced electron and holes, improving the absorption capability for visible light of photocatalyst and leading to increased surface OH group density. The degradation experiment reveals that the catalytic property of Ag-DP25 in the degradation of MB dye is more efficient than that of commercially available Degussa P25 TiO₂ (DP25) samples under visible-light irradiation. Besides, degradation kinetics of MB dye can, be well described by Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation and shows pseudo-first order law.     

Surface properties and photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline titania films

In this work the efficiency and physicochemical details of a thin film produced by help of a microwave assisted sol gel technique is compared to different commercial powders (Degussa P25 and Hombikat UV100) deposited on glass substrates. Furthermore, a supercritical produced TiO₂ powder (SC 134) was included in the comparison.The prepared TiO₂ films were characterized using XRD, XPS, AFM, DSC and DLS. The photocatalytic activity was determined using stearic acid as a model compound. Investigation of the prepared films showed that the Degussa P25 film and the sol–gel film were the most photocatalytic active films. The activity of the films was found to be related to the crystallinity of the TiO₂ film and the amount of surface area and surface hydroxyl groups. Based on the XPS investigation of the films before and after UV irradiation it was suggested that the photocatalytic destruction of organic matter on TiO₂ films proceeds partly through formation of hydroxyl radicals which are formed from surface hydroxyl groups created by interactions between adsorbed water and vacancies on the TiO₂ surface. Furthermore a correlation between the amount of OH groups on the surface of the different TiO₂ films and the photocatalytic activity was found.     

Phosphorous,nitrogen, and molybdenum ternary co-doped TiO2: preparation and photocatalytic activities under visible light

P, N, and Mo ternary co-doped nano TiO₂ photocatalysts ((P, N, Mo)-TiO₂) were prepared by a single step sol–gel method, which show much enhanced photocatalytic activities over Mo-TiO₂, (P, N)-TiO₂, un-doped TiO₂ and Degussa P25 under visible light irradiation. The degradation rate of 0.72Mo–P-TiO₂ is as high as 65.3%, which is about 6.7 times of that of Degussa P25. Possible reasons for the improvement of photocatalytic activities were analyzed.     

Photodegradation of Rhodamine B on Sulfur Doped ZnO/TiO2 Nanocomposite Photocatalyst under Visible-light Irradiation

Sulfur doped ZnO/TiO₂ nanocomposite photocatalysts were synthesized by a facile sol‐gel method. The structure and properties of catalysts were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV‐vis diffusive reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and N₂ desorption‐adsorption isotherm. The XRD study showed that TiO₂ was anatase phase and there was no obvious difference in crystal composition of various S‐ZnO/TiO₂. The XPS study showed that the Zn element exists as ZnO and S atoms form SO^2?₄. The prepared samples had mesoporosity revealed by N₂ desorption‐adsorption isotherm result. The degradation of Rhodamine B dye under visible light irradiation was chosen as probe reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the ZnO/TiO₂ nanocomposite. The commercial TiO₂ photocatalyst (Degussa P25) was taken as standard photocatalyst to contrast the prepared different photocatalyst in current work. The improvement of the photocatalytic activity of S‐ZnO/TiO₂ composite photocatalyst can be attributed to the suitable energetic positions between ZnO and TiO₂, the acidity site caused by sulfur doping and the enlargement of the specific area. S‐3.0ZnO/TiO₂ exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation after Zn amount was optimized, which was 2.6 times higher than P25.     

水热法制备具有高光催化活性的镧掺杂二氧化钛纳米晶

采用水热法合成钛酸钾(K₂Ti₈O₁₇)纳米棒,并将它作为前驱体水热转晶合成TiO₂纳米晶,同时通过在水热体系中引入稀土元素La³⁺实现对TiO₂的La掺杂.考察了不同条件下钛酸盐向TiO₂的转晶过程,发现水热溶液的pH值、温度以及预处理步骤对转晶过程有很大的影响.利用X射线衍射以及透射电子显微镜对样品的晶相和形貌进行了表征.利用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱测量了所合成的La掺杂TiO₂样品中的La含量.通过在紫外光下降解甲基橙(MO,10mg/L)测试了La掺杂TiO₂样品的光催化性能.结果表明La掺杂后TiO₂的光催化活性大大提高.在0.15mol/LLa³⁺浓度下180oC水热合成的La掺杂TiO₂样品显示了最佳的光催化活性.其对MO的光催化降解反应常数高达0.11min^-1,大约是空白TiO₂样品的9.20倍,P25TiO₂的3.69倍.     

Photoinduced charge property of Ag‐TiO2 films and its relationships with photocatalytic activity under visible illumination

In this article, TiO₂ films were synthesized by traditional spin coating method. To improve their photocatalytic activities, we deposited silver on these films by photodeposition. These films also were characterized by several testing techniques, such as X‐ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflection spectrum, XPS, Raman spectroscopy (Raman), surface photovoltage spectroscopy, and SEM. The activity of different films was evaluated for degrading rhodamine B solution under visible illumination. The effects of AgNO₃ solution concentration on photoinduced charge property and photocatalytic activity were investigated. The results show that the Ag‐TiO₂ film immersed in 10^?3 mol·L^?1 AgNO₃ solution exhibits higher activity, which is in good agreement with the characterization results. The weaker the surface photovoltage spectroscopy signal, the higher the photocatalytic activity. Moreover, the activity of some films is higher than that of international Degussa P‐25 TiO₂ under visible illumination. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microwave‐Hydrothermal Preparation and Visible‐Light Photoactivity of Plasmonic Photocatalyst Ag‐TiO2 Nanocomposite Hollow Spheres

Visible‐light‐driven plasmonic photocatalyst Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite hollow spheres are prepared by a template‐free chemically‐induced self‐transformation strategy under microwave‐hydrothermal conditions, followed by a photochemical reduction process under xenon lamp irradiation. The prepared samples are characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption‐desorption isotherms, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV/Vis and Raman spectroscopy. Production of ?OH radicals on the surface of visible‐light illuminated TiO₂ was detected by using a photoluminescence method with terephthalic acid as the probe molecule. The photocatalytic activity of as‐prepared samples was evaluated by photocatalytic decolorization of Rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution at ambient temperature under visible‐light irradiation. The results show that the surface plasmon absorption band of the silver nanoparticles supported on the TiO₂ hollow spheres was red shifted, and a strong surface enhanced Raman scattering effect for the Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite sample was observed. The prepared nanocomposite hollow spheres exhibits a highly visible‐light photocatalytic activity for photocatalytic degradation of RhB in water, and their photocatalytic activity is higher than that of pure TiO₂ and commercial Degussa P25 (P25) powders. Especially, the as‐prepared Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite hollow spheres at the nominal atomic ratio of silver to titanium ( R ) of 2 showed the highest photocatalytic activity, which exceeds that of P25 by a factor of more than 2.     

Photocatalytic Activity of Microwave Plasma-Synthesized TiO2 Nanopowder

Nanocrystalline TiO₂ was synthesized using the microwave plasma technique and characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, laser particle size analyzer, UV–vis spectroscopy and BET surface area analyzer. The synthesized TiO₂ powder crystallized in anatase phase and the crystallite sizes were in nanometers. The photocatalytic activity of the compound was determined and compared against the activity of the commercial Degussa P-25 TiO₂ catalyst. The degradation rates of the dyes were found to be higher over the synthesized TiO₂ as compared to that over commercial Degussa P-25 TiO₂.     

Comparison of photocatalysis degradation of 4-nitrophenol using N,S co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized by two different routes

The photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol as pollutant in aqueous solutions was investigated under visible light irradiation over two different N?CS-codoped anatase TiO₂ catalysts prepared by sol?Cgel methods using titanium isopropoxide and titanium tetrachloride as two different precursors. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, DRS, EDAX and FT-IR. The effects of various operating parameters including the initial concentration of 4-nitrophenol (2?C14?ppm), solution pH (5?C8) and kinetic reactions were studied. The optimum solution pH was at around 6. For comparison purpose, the photodegradation activity of the commercial Degussa P-25 TiO₂ catalyst has also been studied. The results indicated that photocatalytic activity of N?CS-codoped TiO₂ with titanium isopropoxide as precursor was higher than N?CS-codoped TiO₂ with titanium tetrachloride as precursor and Degussa P-25.     

Electrochemical monitoring of photoelectrocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B using TiO2 thin film modified graphite electrode

A commercially available TiO₂ powder (Degussa P25) has been used to prepare thin films on graphite plates. The photoelectrochemical degradation of rhodamine B was investigated using this photoelectrode. The effects of applied potential, pH, and initial rhodamine B concentration on the photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of rhodamine B using ultraviolet illuminated TiO₂/graphite (TiO₂/C) thin film electrode were examined and discussed. Also, direct photolysis, electrochemical oxidation, photocatalytic, and PEC degradation of rhodamine B were compared. Results show that the best responses for PEC are obtained at applied potential of 1.2?V vs. reference electrode, pH?4.0, and initial rhodamine B concentration of 4.2?mg?L^?1.     

有机改性TiO2光催化剂的制备及可见光催化性能

以染料黄叱精(Chrysoidine G)和TiO₂ (Degussa P25)为原料, 利用甲苯二异氰酸酯为桥连体, 成功合成了一种有机改性的TiO₂光催化剂. 采用XRD, TEM, FT-IR, UV-Vis对所得催化剂进行了表征, 以亚甲基蓝降解为探针反应, 考察其可见光催化性能. 结果表明: 甲苯二异氰酸酯在黄叱精和TiO₂之间形成了稳定的化学键, 从而实现了对TiO₂的表面有机改性; 改性后的TiO₂在可见光区(400～550 nm)有明显的吸收; 与未改性TiO₂相比, 有机改性的TiO₂催化剂在可见光照射下表现出了很好的光催化性能.     

Synthesis of bimodal porous structured TiO2 microsphere with high photocatalytic activity for water treatment

In this work bimodal structured titanium dioxide (TiO₂) microsphere has been prepared from commercial TiO₂ powder and nano-sized titania gel via sol–gel spray-coating technique. Crystallization and transformation behavior of titania gel were investigated. The results revealed that the crystallization and transformation of anatase particles were substantially affected by the concentration of solvent and calcination temperature. Anatase crystallite size of 10 nm was obtained at mole ratio of solvent/precursor 50/1 and calcination temperature of 450 °C. The prepared nano-sized titania gel was embedded within the core (commercial TiO₂, P25) during the spraying process. The prepared TiO₂ microsphere was characterized using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), field emission electron microscope (FESEM) and micropore analysis. The photocatalytic activity was monitored by following the degradation of phenol with activity benchmarked against commercial P25 (Degussa). The increase of photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ microsphere was attributed to the nano-sized anatase crystallite which has been incorporated into the TiO₂ microsphere.     

Electrochemical Monitoring of Photoelectrocatalytic Degradation of 3,4‐Dichlorophenol Using TiO2 Thin Film Modified Graphite Electrode

A novel electrode was prepared by forming TiO₂ thin films using a commercially available TiO₂ powder (Degussa P25) on graphite plates for water photoelectrocatalytic decontamination. In addition to, for the first time the photoelectrochemical degradation of 3,4‐dichlorophenol was investigated. The effects of applied potential, pH, and initial 3,4‐dichlorophenol concentration on the photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of 3,4‐dichlorophenol using ultraviolet (UV) illuminated TiO₂/graphite (TiO₂/C) thin film electrode was examined and discussed. Also, direct photolysis (DP), electrochemical oxidation (EC), photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of 3,4‐dichlorophenol were compared. Results show that the best responses for PEC are obtained at applied potential 1.2 V versus reference electrode, pH 8.0 and initial 3,4‐dichlorophenol concentration 6.7 mg L^?1.     

Synthesis of visible light-activated TiO2 photocatalyst via surface organic modification

A visible light-activated TiO₂ photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by the surface organic modification to sol-gel-hydrothermal synthesized TiO₂. The surface hydroxyls of TiO₂ nanoparticles reacted with the active -NCO groups of tolylene diisocyanate (TDI) to form a surface complex that was confirmed by the FT-IR and XPS spectra. Due to the existence of surface complex, the absorption edge of as-prepared TDI-modified TiO₂ nanomaterial extended well into visible region. Compared with unmodified TiO₂ and Degussa P25, the TDI-modified TiO₂ photocatalysts showed higher activity for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation.     

Sonophotocatalytic activity of methyl orange over Fe(III)/TiO2

TiO₂ doped with Fe³⁺ was prepared by an impregnation technique and its sonophotocatalytic activity over methyl orange (MO) was investigated. The Fe/TiO₂ surface presented red shift to longer wavelength, resulting in a lower energy band gap. Fe loading of 0.1 wt% on TiO₂ provided the optimum degradation. The MO degradation rate constant under sonophotocatalytic conditions was 2.5 times higher than under photocatalytic conditions.     

Synthesis,characterization and photocatalytic performance of W,N, S-tri-doped TiO2 under visible light irradiation

W–S–N-tri-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts (WSNTiO₂) were prepared by a simple sol–gel method. Tungstic acid, sodium sulfate and urea were used as tungsten, sulfur and nitrogen sources, respectively. The morphology and microstructure characteristics of the photocatalysts were evidenced by means of XRD, BET, TEM, SEM and UV–vis DRS techniques. The XRD results show that the main crystal phase of samples is anatase. It was also found that the tri-doping of TiO₂ increases its BET specific surface area from 95 to 121 m²·g⁻¹. Besides, it was shown that tri-doping narrows the band gap of TiO₂ effectively, which has greatly improved the photocatalytic activity in the visible light region. The photocatalytic activity of tri-doped TiO₂ powders was compared to that of bi-doped ones through the degradation of Congo Red (CR) under visible irradiation. Thus, the prepared 0.5% W–N–S–TiO₂ heat treated at 450 °C showed the best photocatalytic activity compared to the prepared pure TiO₂, Degussa P25, and co-doped samples (WNTiO₂ and WSTiO₂). In particular, a Congo Red degradation rate of approximately 99% was reached after only 35 min of visible light irradiation in the presence of 0.5% of WNSTiO₂. Total organic carbon (TOC) removal of CR was up to 72% and confirmed its significant mineralization in the presence of 0.5% of WNSTiO₂ photocatalyst.     

Photocatalytic degradation of metoprolol in water suspension of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanopowders prepared using sol–gel route

Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO₂) powders have been synthesized by sol–gel method using titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) or tetrabutyl titanate (Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ as precursors, different alcohols and calcination temperatures in the range from 400 to 650 °C. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared powders has been tested for the degradation of metoprolol tartrate salt, a selective β-blocker used to treat a variety of cardiovascular diseases, and compared to photocatalytic activity obtained from Degussa P25. Nanosized TiO₂ powders prepared from TiCl₄ and amyl-alcohol, calcined at 550 °C, displayed an activity comparable to Degussa P25, whereas the sample from the same series, calcined at 650 °C, showed higher photocatalytic activity in the whole range of the catalyst loading. Structural, morphological and surface properties of synthesized TiO₂ nanopowders have been investigated by XRD, SEM, EDS and BET measurements, as well as FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, in order to find out the material properties which enable rapid an efficient decomposition of metoprolol under UV radiation.