Au/TiO 2

Nanogold doped TiO2 catalysts are synthesized, and their application in the photodegradation of dye pollutants is studied. The materials are characterized using different analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed the strong interaction between the metallic gold nanoparticles and the anatase TiO2 support. Au doped systems showed very good photoactivity in the degradation of dye pollutants under UV irradiation as well as in sunlight. A simple mechanism is proposed for explaining the excellent photoactivity of the systems. The reusability studies of the photocatalysts exhibited more than 98% degradation of the dye even after 10 repeated cycles

Au/TiO 2 Reusable Photocatalysts for Dye Degradation

Nanogold doped TiO 2 catalysts are synthesized, and their application in the photodegradation of dye pollutants is studied. The materials are characterized using different analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UVvisible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed the strong interaction between the metallic gold nanoparticles and the anatase TiO 2 support. Au doped systems showed very good photoactivity in the degradation of dye pollutants under UV irradiation as well as in sunlight. A simple mechanism is proposed for explaining the excellent photoactivity of the systems. The reusability studies of the photocatalysts exhibited more than 98% degradation of the dye even after 10 repeated cycles

An Enthusiastic Glance in to the Visible Responsive Photocatalysts for Energy Production and Pollutant Removal, with Special Emphasis on Titania

As a consequence of the rapid growth of industry, major problems are created related to energy and environment. Sunlight being one of the most potential alternative source of energy, the development of efficient solar-energy storage systems is an important subject in the fields of science and technology. Here we have reviewed and summarized some of the recent reports on visible responsive photocatalysts. In this review, the influence of various metal oxide photocatalysts on energy production and pollutant removal are presented with special emphasis on titania based photocatalysts. The photoactivity of titania for various pollutant degradation, modified titania (TiO2) systems, their physical and chemical characteristics, and so forth, are described in detail at this juncture. Different methods used to enhance the visible light absorption of TiO2, like doping with metals and nonmetals, coupling with other metal oxides, and so forth, have been discussed. Various applications of photocatalysts including photocatalytic treatment of waste water, pesticide degradation and water splitting to produce hydrogen are summarized. The development of photocatalysts that function under visible light for the efficient utilization of sunlight is an area of current interest and thus the different methods of preparation for the visible active photocatalysts are also explored

CO3O4 doped over SBA 15: excellent adsorbent materials for the removal of methyleneblue dye pollutant

Nanosized cobalt oxide particles are incorporated into SBA 15 mesoporous silica materials and are effectively used for the first time as adsorbent materials for aquatic dye pollutant removal. Cobalt is found to exist in its Co3O4 spinel structure as evident from FTIR and X-ray diffraction studies. The best weight ratio of metal loading to show excellent adsorption of methyleneblue is found to be 10 wt% Co over the support. There, Co3O4 spinel nanoparticles lie inside the pores of mesoporous silica. Further increase in the percentage of metal loading decreases the adsorption capacity which may be due to the agglomeration of nanoparticles over the silica support as evident from TEM photographs. Cobalt-doped systems of the present study, having good adsorption capacity of methyleneblue, are prepared via impregnation of cobalt nitrate over SBA 15 in aqueous medium. Here, we introduce a new SBA 15-based system for the fast removal of aquatic dye pollutants which is highly economical for industrial applications

Visible-light photo-activity of alkali metal doped ZnO

In order to utilize visible light more efficiently in the field of photocatalysis, Li, Na and K-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared using a sol–gel method. The obtained samples were characterized by BET surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV–vis analysis. The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts was evaluated for the degradation of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) under visible light irradiation. It has been observed that these photocatalysts could be a promising photocatalyst for degradation of organic molecules as compared to transition metal doped ZnO under visible light. Li-doped ZnO is the most active photocatalyst and shows high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of p-nitrophenol (p-NP). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Li-doped ZnO is mainly due to the electron trapping by lithium metal ions, small particle size, large surface area, and high surface roughness of the photocatalysts