Ti2O3/TiO2-Assisted Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-tert-Butylphenol in Water

Abstract

Colored Ti2O3 and Ti2O3/TiO2 (mTiO) catalysts were prepared by the thermal treatment method. The effects of treatment temperature on the structure, surface area, morphology and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were investigated by XRD, BET, SEM, TEM, Raman and UV–VIS spectroscopies. Phase transformation from Ti2O3 to TiO2 rutile and TiO2 anatase to TiO2 rutile increased with increasing treatment temperatures. The photocatalytic activities of thermally treated Ti2O3 and mTiO were evaluated in the photodegradation of 4-tert-butylphenol (4-t-BP) under solar light irradiation. mTiO heated at 650 °C exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation and mineralization of 4-t-BP, being approximately 89.8% and 52.4%, respectively, after 150 min of irradiation. The effects of various water constituents, including anions (CO32−, NO3, Cl and HCO3−) and humic acid (HA), on the photocatalytic activity of mTiO-650 were evaluated. The results showed that the presence of carbonate and nitrate ions inhibited 4-t-BP photodegradation, while chloride and bicarbonate ions enhanced the photodegradation of 4-t-BP. As for HA, its effect on the degradation of 4-t-BP was dependent on the concentration. A low concentration of HA (1 mg/L) promoted the degradation of 4-t-BP from 89.8% to 92.4% by mTiO-650, but higher concentrations of HA (5 mg/L and 10 mg/L) had a negative effect.

Floating Carbon-Doped TiO2 Photocatalyst with Metallic Underlayers Investigation for Polluted Water Treatment under Visible-Light Irradiation

“…Davidsdottir et al deposited the TiO 2 films on metallic substrate by DC magnetron sputtering which had a size of approximately 26 nm of crystallite size [63], as shown by XRD, while Gualdrón-Reyes et al calculated approximately 17 nm after the TiO2 deposition on the stainless steel [74]. Similar crystallite sizes (11-35 nm) were obtained preparing TiO 2 by sol gel method [36,75] or other chemically based methods (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) [39,76].…”

“…The oxidation power of hydroxyl radicals (oxidation potential 2.8 V) is higher than chlorine (oxidation potential 1.36 V) and even ozone (oxidation potential 2.07 V) [1]. There are various types of AOPs including the Fenton process [11], electrochemical oxidation [12], photocatalysis [13], electrical discharge [14], catalytic ozonation [15,16], sonolysis [17], or wet air oxidation [18]. All of the mentioned AOPs have their own advantages as well as disadvantages, e.g., the Fenton process is known as an efficient, non-toxic and cost-effective process.…”

Recent Progress on Titanium Sesquioxide: Fabrication, Properties, and Applications

“…Recently, α‐Ti 2 O 3 /TiO 2 structures have been fabricated and these show active properties in photocatalytic H 2 production, [ 144 ] CO 2 reduction, [ 145 ] and degradation of 4‐tert‐Butylphenol. [ 146 ] Thus, Ti 2 O 3 /TiO 2 heterostructures can be regarded as a model system to investigate more Ti 2 O 3 ‐based heterostructures or composites, which can enhance the efficiency of the combined functional materials and further extend the applications of Ti 2 O 3 . 4)By now, reduction of TiO 2 is the only synthetic method for α‐Ti 2 O 3 and this limits its practical applications. Synthesizing α‐Ti 2 O 3 using solution‐based processes could open the door to an array of novel nanostructures, including nanoflowers, nanowires, nanorods, nanotubes, etc, which could give rise to better performance and potential applications.…”

The Role of Dual Vacancies in TiO2 for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation and Pollutants Removal

“…[6] However, TiO 2 has its drawbacks affecting reactivity, such as slow reaction rates, low quantum efficiency, and a narrow light absorption range. [7] Based on researches proposed various modification methods, including microelectronic structure modulation, [8] phase and morphology control, [9] crystal facet [10] and defect engineering, [11] construction of homojunction [12] and heterojunction, [13,14] many remarkable results have been achieved. Among them, defect engineering can modulate the electronic properties and photocatalytic reaction performance of TiO 2 by introducing vacancies, [15] which has been extensively investigated due to its low cost, simple preparation, and high efficiency.…”