Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic properties of sol–gel TiO2 films

Abstract

The application of heterogeneous photocatalysis is described as an advanced oxidation process (AOP) for the degradation of the diazo reactive dye using immobilized TiO2 as a photocatalyst. Starting TiO2 solutions were prepared with and without the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and TiO2 films were directly deposited on a borosilicate glass substrate using the sol–gel dip-coating method. The surface morphology and the nanoscale roughness of TiO2 films were studied by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Structural properties of TiO2 were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The decomposition behaviour of organic compounds from the gels was investigated using thermal gravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Photocatalytic activities of TiO2 films in the process of degradation of the commercial diazo textile dye Congo red (CR), used as a model pollutant, were monitored by means of UV/vis spectrophotometry. The kinetics of the degradation of the CR dye was described with the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) kinetic model.The addition of PEG to the TiO2 solution resulted in the changes in the film surface morphology, and affected the ratio of anatase–rutile crystal phases and the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. The TiO2 film prepared with PEG is characterized by higher roughness parameters (Ra, Rmax, Rq, Rz and Zmax), a lower amount of the rutile phase of TiO2, a higher amount of the anatase phase of TiO2 and a better photocatalytic activity compared to the TiO2 film without the addition of PEG.