Augmented photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac by a novel TiO2-Chitosan-Bocalanine-Ni hybrid material under illumination of various light sources

Abstract

TiO2-CBA-Ni composite (hydrothermally synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles loaded chitosan-bocalanine nickel complex) was successfully produced using solid and solution approaches, and the finished product was characterized using a variety of instrumentation techniques including UV–Visible, FT-IR, XRD, and SEM. Further, the efficient photocatalytic activity and recombination rates of the prepared TiO2-CBA-Ni composite were evaluated through photoluminescence (PL) spectra compared with pure TiO2. The photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac sodium (DCF) molecules was accomplished utilizing a TiO2-CBA-Ni composite with a pH range of 4.0 to 10.0 and varied light sources. Lower pH levels (pH = 4.0) reveal improved DCF degradation efficiency as compared to higher values (pH = 7.0 and 10.0) under any light source. More importantly, the TiO2-CBA-Ni composite degraded at a greater rate of 94.3 % in an identical reaction time (250 min) than other sources when exposed to visible light and at a lower pH (4.0). This effort has generated interest about the biopolymer grafted ligand metal complex functionalization over the photocatalyst and the effectiveness of the amalgamation, paving the way for a new path to eradicate the toxicity of pharmaceutical items from the ecosystem.