Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity using SiO2-TiO2 nanocomposites under UV light

SiO _2 -TiO _2 nanocomposites were synthesized by the sol-gel method with different SiO _2 contents (0.125, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75%wt). The characteristics of prepared samples were obtained from x-ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), UV–visible spectrophotometer, and Brunauer Emmett and Teller (BET) surface area analyzer. SiO _2 -TiO _2 nanocomposites have higher UV absorption capability and a higher specific surface area compared to pure TiO _2 , resulting in improved dye degradation by photocatalytic activity. The results show that the dye degradation efficiency of 0.5SiO _2 -TiO _2 is higher than pure TiO _2 . It can degrade the dye up to 96.91% within 2 h, while TiO _2 was able to degrade dye at 88.62%