Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) photocatalysts co-doped with iron (Fe) and niobium (Nb) were synthesized using a temperature-controlled sol-gel method. The photocatalysis products were characterized and the photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the degradation of aqueous methyl orange solution. Enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to undoped TiO 2 was attributed to the cooperative effects of metal dopants, Fe and Nb.
The nano-TiO2 photocatalysts doped with Iron and Niobium for dye wastewater treatment were prepared by temperature-controlled sol-gel method. The effects of these dopants on the physical and chemical properties of TiO2 were compared with the commercially available Degussa TiO2 P25. Among these characteristics are crystalline size, the presence of absolute anatase phase, band gap energy and specific surface area. The characterization data were correlated to photocatalytic activities using Turquoise blue dye (TBD) as model pollutant. Single doping (with Nb) and co-doping (Fe and Nb) catalyst reached complete decolorization within 2.5 hours and 3 hours. In addition, their kinetic reaction rate constants of apparent first-order model are 0.0258 min-1 and 0.0225 min-1, respectively. The presence of Nb as traps is considered to play a crucial key in enhancing the photocatalytic activity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.