Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Ibuprofen under Visible Light Irradiation Using Silver and Cerium Co‐Doped Mesoporous TiO₂

Abstract

Water contamination by pharmaceutical compounds has become one of the most serious problem for environment. The use of solar illumination as a renewable energy associated to nanomaterials is an alternative solution for disinfection of wastewater. Therefore, there is a great challenge in green chemistry research to synthesize robust and efficient catalysts for the degradation of organic pollutant under visible light. In this study, we describe new ways to decorated mesoporous TiO 2 with cerium (Ce) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles. Indeed, mesoporous TiO 2 was co-doped with Ag and Ce using two different methods: co-impregnation (Co-IMP) and co-deposition precipitation with urea (Co-DPU). The prepared catalysts were characterized using different analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DR/UV-vis) and N 2 adsorption/desorption. The effect of the preparation method has been evaluated in the photodegradation of ibuprofen (IBP) under visible light irradiation. The obtained results underlined the improvement of photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO 2 by metals under visible light. A mineralization of IBP up to 98 % was achieved after 4 h irradiation for the catalyst prepared by co-deposition precipitation with urea. Therefore, this catalyst could be suitable for the treatment of pharmaceuticals in aqueous media using solar light as the energy source.

Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants and Anticorrosion of Mild Steel by Vanadium Modified Titanate Nanotubes (X%V‐TiNTs)

“…It is known not only as a powerful photocatalyst applied for the degradation of pollutants, but also as a hydrophilic UV sensitive surface conversion agent which is used on various industrial items such as self‐cleaning exterior tiles and anti‐fog mirrors [4–6] . However, titania is well known as a good self‐cleaning coating acquires high transmittance, important photocatalytic activity, strong wet ability by water, excellent adhesion to the surface of substrate, and good rupture resistance [5,7] . The main drawback of titania is the high band gap energy (Eg≈3.2 eV) which limit its work only under UV illumination but not under visible light.…”

Photocatalytic degradation of glyphosate using Ce/N co-doped TiO2 with oyster shell powder as carrier under the simulated fluorescent lamp

“…The introduction of N 2p hybridisation orbitals by N doping. Ulteriorly, Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ is known as the "oxygen tank" due to its special redox properties (Chaker et al, 2020), Ce 4+ has a strong electron capture ability to improve the separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs, while Ce 3+ can absorb oxygen to form superoxide radicals to participate in photocatalytic reactions. It is well established that the appropriate amount of Ce and N doping can effectively improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers.…”

Optimization of Preparation Conditions of Modified Oyster Shell Powder/Ce-N-TiO<sub>2</sub> by Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

“…Ce doping makes Ce 3+ and Ce 4+ coexist on the crystal surface or gap. Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ is called "oxygen tank" because of its special redox performance [20]. Ce 4+ has strong electron capture ability to improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated e − /h + pairs, while Ce 3+ can absorb oxygen to form superoxide radicals to participate in the photocatalytic reaction, as shown in Equation ( 2) and Equation (3).…”