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The Properties and Activity of TiO 2 /beta‐SiC Nanocomposites in Organic Dyes Photodegradation
Author(s) -
Pstrowska Katarzyna,
Szyja Bartłomiej Maciej,
CzaporIrzabek Hanna,
Kiersnowski Adam,
Walendziewski Jerzy
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/php.12705
Subject(s) - photodegradation , methylene blue , methyl orange , catalysis , anatase , cationic polymerization , nanocomposite , chemistry , photochemistry , nuclear chemistry , materials science , photocatalysis , organic chemistry , nanotechnology
The TiO 2 /beta‐SiC nanocomposites containing 0–25 wt. % of beta‐SiC were synthesized by the sol‐gel method and tested in the photodegradation of methylene blue and methyl orange water solutions. With the increase in SiC content, only a slight decrease in energy band gap was observed (3.19–3.12 eV), together with significant increase in the surface area of the catalysts (42.7–80.4 m 2 g −1 ). In the synthesized material, the anatase phase of TiO 2 was present in the form of small agglomerates resulting from the mechanical mixing process. In the process conditions (catalyst concentration 0.5 g L −1 , initial dye concentration 100 ppm, light source 100 W UV ‐Vis lamp), we have observed no signs of catalyst deactivation. The significantly higher photodegradation activity of methylene blue than methyl orange can be attributed to the preferable pH of the solution compared to pH PZC and the cationic character of the first dye. In case of methyl orange, pH process conditions substantially limit the contact of the catalyst with the dye, as negatively charged surface of the catalysts repels the dissociated anionic dye molecules.