Preparation and Photocatalytic Activity Evaluation of Composite Fe – TiO2 / TiO2 Photocatalyst

Abstract

photocatalyst was prepared by a sol–gel method using tetrabutyl titanate as the titanium precursor. The composite photocatalyst was prepared by the ballmilling method. The structure and properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, UV/visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy. The terephthalic acid was used as a probe molecule to detect the generation of hydroxyl radicals on the surface of UV-illuminated photocatalyst by a PL technique. The results showed that doping into is more beneficial toward the photocatalytic reduction rather than oxidation with the optimum amount level of 0.05% (Fe/Ti molar ratio). After coupling between and , both the photo-oxidation and photoreduction activities of the sample are enhanced. Among the composite samples, the (5.0 wt %)/ sample exhibits the best photocatalytic activity. It is proposed that the photo-oxidation and photoreduction activities are promoted by coupling and as a homojunction where the photoexcited holes and electrons are separated effectively.