Enhancing the photocatalytic activity of Ag-TiO₂/SiO₂ and its potential application in water treatment

Abstract

Ag-doped TiO2/SiO2 with visible light response was prepared by a simple sol-gel method using titanium w-butoxide (TNB), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as precursors, and silver nitrate (AgNO3). The synthesized Ag-TiO2/SiO2 were characterized by SEM, XRD, PL (photoluminescence) emission and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Their photocatalytic activities were evaluated by treating aqueous solutions of phenol under simulated visible light illumination. The role of silver doped was investigated in the range 1% – 5% (molar ratio), resulting in the best bandgap value of 2.93 eV for Ag(3%)-TiO2/SiO2 compared to 3,18 eV for the un-doped TiO2/SiO2. Consequently, the best phenol treating yield – about 97% after 4 hours – was obtained using Ag(3%)-TiO2/SiO2. So the synthesized Ag(3%)-TiO2/SiO2 might serve as a potential photocatalyst for water treatment using visible lights.