TiO2 Composite Photocatalysts Research Articles

Boosting visible-light response for the complete decomposition of volatile organic compounds on the Cu-oxide deposited WO3 photocatalyst by the synergistic effects of TiO2

The degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by photocatalytic systems is the most practical strategy due to its cost performance, simplicity, and environmental sustainability. To address such issues, the photocatalytic activities of tungsten trioxide (WO3) were developed by the deposition of various cocatalysts. In particular, the Cu-oxide (CuO/Cu2O)-deposited WO3 (Cu-WO3) photocatalyst could efficiently decompose acetic acid and acetaldehyde into CO2 under visible-light irradiation, although it exhibited low activity for the decomposition of benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX). Furthermore, a composite Cu-WO3/TiO2 photocatalytic system, which was fabricated by the simple physical mixing of Cu-WO3 with TiO2, was found to exhibit unprecedented reactivity for the complete decomposition of persistent BTX pollutants into CO2 under visible light irradiation. The synergistic effects of Cu-WO3 and the interfacial surface complex (ISC) formed by toluene-adsorbed TiO2 contribute to the efficient visible light response by excitation up to around 600nm. The reaction mechanism for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity by the Cu-WO3/TiO2 composite photocatalyst is examined in this study.

Preparation of TiO2 composite photocatalyst using amorphous SiO2 microspheres loaded with spent SCR catalysts

The products of S-SCR grinding and alkali treatment (S-SCR-T, primarily consisting of anatase TiO2 with a size less than 20 nm) were utilized as photocatalysts, while SiO2 microspheres (MS-SiO2) were used as carriers. A TiO2 composite photocatalyst (M-Si/SR-Ti) was prepared by wet mechanical grinding. The results demonstrate that in M-Si/SR-Ti, S-SCR-T was uniformly loaded on the MS-SiO2 surface in a well-dispersed state and firmly bonded at the interface with Si–O–Ti bonds. M-Si/SR-Ti prepared under optimized conditions exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation and recycling properties for methyl orange. The degradation rate of methyl orange solution at 10 ppm for 60 min under UV irradiation was 97%, which was comparable to that of S-SCR-T, and remained unchanged after four cycles of recycling. Compared with S-SCR-T, M-Si/SR-Ti exhibited significantly improved settlement recovery performance in water. The loading of S-SCR-T on the MS-SiO2 surface, which increased the exposure of the nano-TiO2 active site and decreased the energy gap, was the mechanism responsible for improving the photocatalytic performance of M-Si/SR-Ti. This study positively impacted the effort to efficiently utilize and increase the value of S-SCR and reduce the cost of the photocatalyst.

Research progress of magnetic TiO2 photocatalyst in wastewater treatment

ABSTRACT TiO2 photocatalyst has the advantages of high catalytic activity, suitable energy band potential, high chemical stability, high photoelectric conversion efficiency, high safety and non-toxicity, which exhibits excellent performances in photocatalytic degradation of organic wastewater. However, it is difficult to separate and recover TiO2 photocatalyst from the reactive system. Interestingly, magnetic TiO2 prepared by combining TiO2 with superparamagnetic ferromagnetic particles can overcome this shortcoming. In this review, the preparation method and the photocatalytic mechanism of magnetic TiO2 were summarized. Moreover, the catalytic mechanisms of the modified binary, ternary and multicomponent magnetic TiO2 composite photocatalysts were compared, and the effects of different magnetic substrates on the degradation activity were discussed. Besides the applications in the wastewater treatment, the development trend and application prospects were prospected.

Activation of peroxymonosulfate by halloysite nanotube-supported TiO2 composite for efficient photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B

In this study, to enhance the peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-assisted photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light over TiO2, a novel halloysite nanotube (HNTs) supported TiO2 composite photocatalyst was prepared by the sol-gel method. The crystal structure and bonding information of samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to characterize the morphology, optical properties and energy band structure of the samples. The composite with weight ratio of 1:5 (HNTs/TiO2) (named HT-20) exhibited apparently enhanced PMS-assisted photocatalytic RhB degradation efficiency and can degrade approximately 95.31 % of RhB in 30 min, and the first-order rate constants (k) of HT-20-PMS system is about 54.5 times higher than that of B–TiO2. In addition, the possible mechanism of enhanced PMS-assisted photocatalytic activity of HT-20 was proposed. The improvement of photocatalytic activity in the composite photocatalyst can be ascribed to the large surface area and strong adsorption capacity of HNTs.

Preparation of TiO2 Composite Photocatalysts and their Photocatalytic Performance

To improve the firmness of the nano-TiO2 particles when loaded and the regenerative ability of the composite photocatalyst, the hydrothermal method was used to prepare the composite photocatalyst with glucose as the carbon source, acetic acid as the catalyst, and anatase titanium dioxide as the photocatalyst. The composite photocatalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), to investigate the removal degree of different methylene blue (MB) concentrations and the support and regeneration of the TiO2 nanoparticles. The results showed that the removal degree of the MB by the composite photocatalyst decreased with the increase of its concentration, the reduction of the initial concentration of the MB could improve the removal efficiency of the MB, the load firmness of the nano-TiO2 of the composite photocatalyst prepared by this method was better, the removal degree of the MB only decreased by 3.36% after five times of ultrasonic treatment indicating it had excellent regeneration ability and the removal degree of the MB was still higher than 80% after five times of reuse.

Real-Time Degradation of Indoor Formaldehyde Released from Actual Particle Board by Heterostructured g-C3N4/TiO2 Photocatalysts under Visible Light

Indoor formaldehyde pollution causes a serious threat to human health since it is uninterruptedly released from wooden furniture. Herein, we prepared a g-C3N4-modified TiO2 composite photocatalyst and coated it on the surface of a commercial artificial particle board with the assistance of melamine formaldehyde adhesive. The g-C3N4/ TiO2 coating was then used to degrade formaldehyde which was released in real-time from the particle board under the irradiation of visible light. The results showed that compared with pure TiO2, the g-C3N4/ TiO2 composite with a heterojunction structure had a lower band gap energy (~2.6 eV), which could effectively capture luminous energy from the visible light region. Under continuous irradiation, the g-C3N4/ TiO2 photocatalytic coating was capable of degrading more than 50% of formaldehyde constantly released from the particle board. In the meantime, the photocatalytic coating also exhibited promising catalytic stability towards various formaldehyde release speeds, air flow velocities and environmental humidities. The hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical were found to be the predominant active species which triggered formaldehyde degradation. This study provides a feasible and practical approach for the improvement in indoor air quality through photocatalyst surface engineering.

Construction of surface oxygen vacancies by bimetallic doping combined with ellagic acid modification to enhance the photocatalytic degradation of ethinyl estradiol by TiO2

In this paper, two surface oxygen vacancy-rich TiO2 composite photocatalysts were successfully constructed by solid thermal reduction ((R-Vo)TiO2) and bimetallic doping (Nd-Fe-(D-Vo)TiO2). The oxygen vacancies were characterized in detail using XPS, Raman, EPR and STEM. The results show that the excellent photocatalytic performance of Nd-Fe-(D-Vo)TiO2 deriving from its doping energy and surface oxygen vacancies. Nd-Fe-(D-Vo)TiO2 could degrade 58 % of phenol within 120 min, which was much greater than 15 % of TiO2 and 27 % of (R-Vo)TiO2. Three composite photocatalysts, TiO2@EA, (R-Vo)TiO2@EA and Nd-Fe-(D-Vo) TiO2@EA, with better visible light absorption and photocatalytic performance were further obtained by bonding ellagic acid (EA) to the surface of TiO2. Nd-Fe-(D-Vo)TiO2@EA could almost completely degrade ethinyl estradiol within 20 min with a high minimization degree of 84 %. The possible sites of ethinyl estradiol attacked by free radicals were predicted by theoretical calculation combining with high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis, and the possible degradation mechanism was proposed.

Preparation and Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Activities of Micro/Nanostructured TiO2-Based Photocatalysts for Application in Orthopedic Implants

Micro/nanostructured TiO2, ion-doped TiO2, and heterojunction TiO2 composite photocatalysts have low toxicity, high biocompatibility, and high photocatalytic and antibacterial activities and have broad applications in the fields of photocatalytic, antibacterial, and orthopedic implants. The photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of TiO2 and TiO2-based photocatalysts depend on their preparation methods. In this review, the preparation methods of TiO2, ion-doped TiO2, and heterojunction TiO2 composite photocatalysts and their effects on photocatalytic and antibacterial activities were reviewed. Based on the excellent physical and chemical properties of TiO2, ion-doped TiO2, and heterojunction TiO2-based photocatalysts, their applications in the field of orthopedic implants were reviewed. Meanwhile, the development trend of the photocatalyst in the fields of photocatalysis, bacteriostasis, and medicine was prospected. The purpose of this review was to point out the direction for further study on photocatalytic and antibacterial activities and related applications of TiO2 and TiO2-based photocatalysts.

Ag Decoration and SnO2 Coupling Modified Anatase/Rutile Mixed Crystal TiO2 Composite Photocatalyst for Enhancement of Photocatalytic Degradation towards Tetracycline Hydrochloride.

The anatase/rutile mixed crystal TiO2 was prepared and modified with Ag decoration and SnO2 coupling to construct a Ag@SnO2/anatase/rutile composite photocatalytic material. The crystal structure, morphology, element valence, optical properties and surface area were characterized, and the effects of Ag decoration and SnO2 coupling on the structure and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 were studied. Ag decoration and SnO2 coupling are beneficial to reduce the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. When the two modification are combined, a synergistic effect is produced in suppressing the photogenerated charge recombination, making Ag@SnO2/TiO2 exhibits the highest quantum utilization. After 30 min of illumination, the degradation degree of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) by pure TiO2 increased from 63.3% to 83.1% with Ag@SnO2/TiO2.

Preparation and properties of ice cream flowers Ce/TiO2 photocatalyst

TiO2 composite photocatalysts with doping amounts of Ce (0.5%Ce/TiO2, 1%Ce/TiO2, 2%Ce/TiO2, 3%Ce/TiO2 and 5%Ce/TiO2)were synthesized via a sol-gel method.The structure and morphology of the prepared composites were characterized by XRD, SEM, DRS, XPS. At the same time, the photocatalytic effect of the composite on rhodamine B (RhB) solution under simulated visible light irradiation was explored.The results indicated that the crystal of powder catalyst was anatase type TiO2, and the directional aggregation of Ce/TiO2 composite photocatalyst showed ice cream flowers-shaped structure.The photocatalysis activity was the best when Ce doping amounts were 3%.The degradation rate of RhB was 96% in 120 min, which was 50% higher than pure TiO2.Hydroxyl radical (⋅OH) played a leading role in the whole photodegradation reaction system, and its contribution rate was about 66.4%.

TiO2-CeO2/g-C3N4 S-scheme heterostructure composite for enhanced photo-degradation and hydrogen evolution performance with combined experimental and DFT study

The g-C3N4/TiO2 nanocomposites (NCs) are fabricated by optimization of calcination and subsequent hydrothermal technique decorated with CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) to build the g-C3N4/TiO2–CeO2 hybrid NCs. The chemical and surface characterizations of structural, morphological, elemental composition, optical, photo-degradation, HER performance and the DFT computation has been efficiently analyzed. The g-C3N4/TiO2–CeO2 composite photocatalysts (PCs) exhibit photocatalytic improved performance (∼97 %) for MB aqueous dye related to pristine g-C3N4 and g-C3N4/TiO2 composite PCs. The obtained k value of the g-C3N4/TiO2/CeO2 heterostructure composite PCs has around 0.0262 min−1 and 6.1, 2.6 and 1.5 times higher than to g-C3N4 (0.0043 min−1), g-C3N4/CeO2 (0.0099 min−1) and g-C3N4/TiO2 (0.0180 min−1) PCs respectively. Likewise, the synergistic probable S-scheme charge separation mechanism based on scavengers’ tests and other values, which leads to effective separation of photo-excited (e−-h+) pairs, whereas high degradation and more H2O molecules have photo-reduction to H2. The H2 evolution reaction (HER) and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the as-obtained samples were explored via electrochemical study. This exertion recommends that the rational strategy and building of g-C3N4/TiO2–CeO2 nano-heterostructures were beneficial for developing visible-light-driven recyclable PCs for ecological refinement.

The synthesis of biotemplate‐based Bi2WO6/TiO2 composite photocatalyst for degradation of microcystin

AbstractMicrocystin is a harmful hepatic toxin produced by cyanobacteria, is a serious threat due to its toxicity to water ecosystems, and it is found recently that TiO2 photocatalyst is effective in degradation of microcystin. In this study, hierarchical porous Bi2WO6/ TiO2 composite photocatalysts were synthesized with a novel hydrothermal method by using rice husk as the biological template. The results showed that the original micro‐ and nanopores of rice husk were efficiently replicated by the synthesized porous TiO2 photocatalyst with a specific surface area of 137.09 m2/g, which increased by nearly 100 m2/g over the surface area. SEM, TEM, XRD, and XPS spectra showed that heterogeneous structures were formed by Bi2WO6 and TiO2, with which process the crystal structures of both were not affected. In the meantime, we studied the effect of hierarchical porous TiO2 photo‐catalyst, pure TiO2 photo‐catalyst, Bi2WO6 photo‐catalyst, Bi2WO6/ hierarchical porous TiO2 photo‐catalyst on degradation of 1 mg/L MC‐LR, and the results showed that to use the unique silicon‐carbon structure of rice husk to prepare hierarchical porous TiO2 photo‐catalyst can have the degradation rate of 53.5%, which is higher than that of commercially available TiO2 photo‐catalyst by 13.8%. Compared with a single photo‐catalyst, the photo‐catalytic activity of Bi2WO6/ hierarchical porous TiO2 photo‐catalyst is significantly improved. The optimal mingling amount of Bi2WO6 is 0.2 mol/mol. At this time, the degradation rate of MC‐LR is 85.3%, and the main active substances for degradation are h+ and ·OH. In addition, the degradation process of MC‐LR fit well with the kinetic model of Quasi Primary Reaction. The insight of green synthesis of Bi2WO6/ TiO2 composite photocatalysts for degradation of microcystins was provided by this study.

Insight into the enhanced magnetic separation and photocatalytic activity of Sn-doped TiO2 core-shell photocatalyst

Much attention has been focused on the synthesis of TiO2 based materials as photocatalysts for water pollutant treatment, it still needs overcome difficulties of separation of TiO2 photocatalyst from the treated water and the recombination of photo-induced carriers to improve catalytic activities. In this paper, a magnetical core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2@Sn-TiO2 (FST-S) composite photocatalyst was designed and prepared via prepared via Stöber and sol-gel methods. The effect of Sn2+ coating TiO2 on the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles was principally investigated. The photocatalytic performance and recyclability of FST-S were evaluated by photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC). Experimental results show that Sn2+ doping increased the content of TiO2 in composite photocatalyst. Because some Sn2+ ions lead to the decrease in the stability of Sn2+-TiO2 nanoparticles and then low-stable Sn2+-TiO2 nanoparticles enter into the composite photocatalyst by condensation with the Sn2+-TiO2 outer shells of FST-S. The photodegradation results show that FST-S sample exhibits an outstanding photocatalytic capacity with a superior degradation rate of 98.2% within 40 min and a good reusability without significant decrease of activity after reused for six cycles. The reaction rate constant (k) of the FST-S was 3.86 times compared with that of without Sn doping Fe3O4@SiO2@Sn (FST). Reactive species scavenging experiments revealed that O2-• it plays a dominant role in photodegradation process. The distinct enhancement of photocatalytic activity of Fe3O4@SiO2@Sn-TiO2 is mainly ascribed to the high amount of TiO2 and low recombination rate of photogenerated electron-holes. This work initiates a novel strategy to prepare magnetical core-shell photocatalysts with excellent activity.

Preparation of heterogeneous TiO2/g-C3N4 with a layered mosaic stack structure by use of montmorillonite as a hard template approach: TC degradation, kinetic, mechanism, pathway and DFT investigation

Photocatalysis is considered one of the most promising methods for removing antibiotics from wastewater. In this work, natural mineral montmorillonite was used as a hard template to prepare g-C3N4 and TiO2 composite photocatalysts with a layered mosaic stack structure through a double intercalation process for the first time. Benefiting from the layered mosaic stack structure, enhanced visible-light response, and effective charge transfer induced by uniform and compact heterojunctions, the prepared photocatalyst showed excellent photodegradation efficiency to remove tetracycline (TC) pollutants. The degradation rate of TC was 97.0% within 60 min. The photocatalytic degradation rate constant of the optimized composite was 0.058 min−1, which was approximately 6.21 higher than that of g-C3N4 (0.009 min−1). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations predicted that the degradation of TC mainly occurred at the boundaries rather than in the interlayer spaces. The layered mosaic stack structure of g-C3N4 and TiO2 prepared with montmorillonite suggests its potential to serve as an efficient photocatalyst for TC in wastewater treatment, and the method could provide some inspiration for the design and construction of efficient photocatalysts.

Solar light assisted photocatalytic degradation of 1,4-dioxane using high temperature stable anatase W-TiO2 nanocomposites

This work outlines a systematic and detailed study of the modification of anatase TiO2 with tungsten (W). The impact this coupling has on the temperature of the anatase to rutile phase transition and the photocatalytic degradation of 1,4-dioxane, a highly toxic compound that is increasingly present in water bodies is also studied. TiO2 composite photocatalysts with 2, 4, 8 and 16 mol. % W, respectively, were produced using a sol-gel process and then calcined between 500−1000 °C. The crystallinity and phase composition of pure and W-TiO2 photocatalysts were examined using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All W-TiO2 composite photocatalysts demonstrated 100 % anatase crystalline phase at calcination temperatures as high as 800 °C. Due to the retention of 26 % anatase after calcination at 950 °C, 8 mol. % W was established as the optimum W loading for the development of high temperature stable anatase W-TiO2 composite photocatalysts. The % anatase content also significantly impacts the photocatalytic activity of the W-TiO2 composite photocatalysts. In the presence of solar light, 100 % of 1,4-dioxane was successfully degraded by 2-W-TiO2, 4-W-TiO2 and 8-W-TiO2 composite photocatalysts, respectively, calcined at 800 °C. However, as the calcination temperature increases and the % anatase content decreases, only 70 % of 1,4-dioxane was degraded when using 4-W-TiO2 and 8-W-TiO2 calcined at 900 °C. The highest % removal of 1,4-dioxane was also achieved using 8-W-TiO2 calcined at both 800 and 900 °C. 8-W-TiO2 is therefore considered the optimum sample for both photocatalysis and phase transition temperature.

Photocatalytic degradation of oily wastewater by ZrO2(Er3+)/TiO2 composite photocatalyst

Photocatalyst/polypropylene ball which can float on the water is prepared through coupling agent method, and the photocatalyst is the ZrO2(Er3+)/TiO2 which is fabricated by co-precipitation. The diesel and crude oil degrading experiments are made with the floating photocatalyst and powder photocatalyst. After 8 hours illuminating in visible light, the removal rate of diesel in float experiment can reach 98%, however the rate in ZrO2(Er3+)/TiO2 powder experiment is 68%. The removal rate of crude oil in float experiment is more than 96%, which is much higher than the removal rate of 39% of crude oil in ZrO2(Er3+)/TiO2 powder experiment.

Visible light active, magnetically retrievable Fe3O4@SiO2@g-C3N4/TiO2 nanocomposite as efficient photocatalyst for removal of dye pollutants

Magnetically retrievable and visible light active Fe3O4@SiO2@g-C3N4/TiO2 core-shell microsphere nanocomposite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized. It comprises Fe3O4@SiO2 magnetic core and g-C3N4/TiO2 nanocomposite as an outer shell. The core-shell structure imparts reusability by magnetic retrieval and at the same time SiO2 encapsulated core acts as an efficient host for g-C3N4/TiO2 composite photocatalyst. The photocatalytic performance was examined using Rhodamine B (Rh B) and Methyl Orange (MO) at 10 ppm in solution. Photodegradation studies show the 10 wt.% g-C3N4/TiO2 a composite catalyst can degrade over 91% of both cationic and anionic dyes. The rate constant of reaction determined to be 3.2 fold higher for Rh B and 27.7 fold higher for MO in comparison to TiO2 thus proving its utility as useful photocatalyst for cationic dyes and as a high rate remover of anionic dyes. Free radical scavenger test shows superoxide and hydroxyl radical species play a major role in the degradation.

Influence of N doping and the functional groups of graphene on a RGO/TiO2 composite photocatalyst

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) assisted TiO2 composite photocatalysts have attracted increased attention because of their high photocatalytic performance under both UV- and visible-light irradiation. However, the corresponding properties under the long wavelength irradiation is far from expected. In this study, a series of RGO samples with well-designed N impurity and optimized surface functional groups are prepared and employed during hybridization with TiO2 (named N-RGO/TiO2). The coupling between the doped N atoms and surface functional groups is analyzed based on the resulting photocatalytic performances, and the specific mechanism is revealed by the EPR, IR and lifetime of the photoinduced electrons. After comparing the corresponding performances of the RGO/TiO2 and RGO/N-TiO2 specimens, the results show that the surface functional groups of the RGO serve as a precondition to achieve π-d coupling between the graphene basal plane and TiO2 nanoparticles, while N atoms in the RGO enhance the resulting photoactivity under a long wavelength range (>510 nm). The findings provide a potential approach to promote the photocatalytic properties of graphene-based composite photocatalysts with the low-energy incident photons.

Preparation and Properties of CaCO3-Supported Nano-TiO2 Composite with Improved Photocatalytic Performance.

In order to improve the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of nano-TiO2, reduce its usage and realize recycling and reuse, CaCO3–TiO2 composite photocatalyst was prepared with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and TiO2 in a grinding machine through the integration of grinding depolymerization, dispersion and particle composition. The photocatalytic degradation performance, recycling performance, structure and morphology of CaCO3–TiO2 were studied. The interaction mechanism between CaCO3 and TiO2 and the improvement mechanism for the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 were also discussed. The results show that under the UV light irradiation for 20 and 40 min, the degradation efficiency of methyl orange by the composite photocatalyst with 40% TiO2 (mass fraction) was 90% and 100%, respectively. This was similar to that of pure TiO2, and the performance of the composite photocatalyst was almost unchanged after five cycles. CaCO3–TiO2 is formed by the uniform loading of nano-TiO2 particles on the CaCO3 surface, and the nano-TiO2 particles are well dispersed. Due to the facts that the dispersion of nano-TiO2 is improved in the presence of CaCO3 and the charge transport capability is improved through the interfacial chemical bonds between CaCO3 and TiO2, the formation of this complex is an intrinsic mechanism to improve the photocatalytic efficiency of nano-TiO2 and reduce its usage in application processes.

Tuning of electron transfer by Ni–P decoration on CeO2–TiO2 heterojunction for enhancement in photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Photocatalytic hydrogen generation using hybrid transition metal oxides has received significant attention recently. However, low response of the catalysts under visible light driven water splitting due to the wide band gap and the high rate of electron–hole recombination suppresses their efficiency. This can be encountered by suitable surface modifications of the catalysts. In the present study, CeO2–TiO2 hybrid oxide is explored as a good photo catalyst and its activity is further enhanced by a simple but effective surface decoration using Ni–P. The enhanced activity is due to narrowing of the band gap of CeO2–TiO2 to 2.4 eV and decreasing of electron–hole recombination rate due to the decoration process. The relay of electrons from valence band of the hybrid oxide to the hybrid P band of the phosphorus and then to the conduction band (CB) of the hybrid oxide decreased the required energy for electron excitation and recombination of electrons and holes. The Ni metal as a co–catalyst can trap the electrons and generates additional reaction sites on the catalyst surface. This is due to the transfer of electrons from CB of CeO2–TiO2 to Ni through Schottky barrier right up until the Fermi level of the two becomes equal. The Ni atoms on the surface act as additional reaction sites during hydrogen evolution. Moreover the O–H group on the surface of the catalyst scavenges the holes in the valence band during photo–excitation and boosts its activity by further reducing electron-hole recombination. Metal (Ni) and non–metal (P) decoration on semiconductor oxides with active heterojunctions is a good method to enhance the photocatalytic activity of the oxides. The thermal decomposition followed by a deposition/reduction process adopted in this study is proved to be an efficient method to develop Ni–P decorated CeO2–TiO2 composite photocatalysts. The Ni–P decorated CeO2–TiO2 produces 1300 μmol of 99% pure hydrogen by catalyzing the water spitting reaction without any sacrificial agent.