Abstract
The photocatalytic activities of TiO2 have been limited mainly to absorbing in the ultraviolet spectrum which accounts for only 5% of solar radiation. High energy band gap and electron recombination in TiO2 nanoparticles are responsible for its limitations as a photocatalyst. An oxygen deficient surface can be artificially created on the titanium oxide by zero valent nano iron through the donation of its excess electrons. A visible light active TiO2 nanoparticle was synthesized in the current investigation through simple chemical reduction using sodium boro-hydride. The physical and textural properties of the synthesized oxygen deficient TiO2 photocatalyst was measured using scanning/ transmission electron microscopy while FTIR, XRD and nitrogen sorption methods (BET) were employed for its further characterizations. Photochemical decoloration of orange II sodium dye solution in the presence of the synthesized TiO2 was measured using an UV spectrophotometer. The resulting oxygen deficient TiO2 has a lower energy band-gap, smaller pore sizes, and enhanced photo-catalytic properties. The decoloration (88%) of orange (II) sodium salt solution (pH 2) under simulated solar light was possible at 20 min. This study highlights the effect of surface oxygen defects, crystal size and energy band-gap on the photo-catalytical property of TiO2 nanoparticles as impacted by nano zero valent iron. It opens a new window in the exploitation of instability in the dopant ions for creation of a visible light active TiO2 photocatalyst.
Highlights
IntroductionThe oxides of semiconductors are capable of absorbing a substantial quantity of (UV)
The oxides of semiconductors are capable of absorbing a substantial quantity of (UV)radiation from a sunlight source and generate electron/hole pairs
The band gap variation of 0.71 eV obtained between the titanium oxide (TD) and the reference (TR) is as a result of the improvement in electrical conductivity and mobility of charge carriers in the oxygen deficient TiO2 (TD )
Summary
The oxides of semiconductors are capable of absorbing a substantial quantity of (UV). Sustainability of photo-degradation processes can be achieved by the synthesis of TiO2 with enhanced capacity for solar-light harvesting through improvements in the documented disadvantages [8,9] Common techniques such as modification by organic materials, semi-conductor coupling and metal doping can be employed to create surface defects on TiO2 and reduce the energy band gap and prevent the agglomeration [10]. Metals with partially filled d-orbitals such as transition metals can cause acceleration in electron–hole generation because of their similarity in electronic configuration to TiO2 [15,16] They are capable of creating a localized electronic state in the valence band and conduction band of TiO2 [17,18]. The impact of zero valent nano iron on the photocatalytic properties of the produced TiO2 will be studied in the current investigation
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