Photocatalytic degradation of orange II dye via high pore volume polymorph zirconium-doped titania under visible light irradiation

Abstract

A series of mixed-phase Zr-doped TiO2 was utilized for the photocatalytic degradation of orange II dye. These materials were synthesized through a sol–gel technique by varying the amounts of zirconium in the photocatalysts. These materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) among others. XRF and XPS data showed that the elemental composition of the photocatalysts consists of zirconium, titanium, and oxygen. In addition, XRD and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the existence of anatase and rutile phases of TiO2. The TGA analyses showed that the undoped TiO2 was the most stable, with no significant weight loss during the heating range. Furthermore, the materials can effectively degrade orange II dye solution up to 7 cycles through asymmetric cleavage of the azo bond.