Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.51, No.3, 1110-1117, 2012
Enhanced Photosensitized Degradation of Organic Pollutants under Visible Radiation by (I-2)(n)-Encapsulated TiO2 Films
We report on the preparation of (I-2)(n)-encapsulated TiO2 (I-2/TiO2) films with high photosensitized activity via a modified doctor blade technique, in which TiO2 nanocrystal particles and poly ethylene glycol (PEG) were introduced to improve specific surface area of films and adhesion between the films and the substrate. The as-prepared films were characterized by SEM, XRD, EDS, BET, and diffuse reflectance spectra. The visible-light-induced photoactivity of the films was evaluated by the degradation of organic pollutants containing rhodamine B (RhB), alizarin red S, fluorescein sodium, and 2,4-dichlorophenol in neutral water at ambient conditions. Compared to P25 film and homemade pure TiO2 film, the I-2/TiO2 films exhibited higher photoreaction activity. Furthermore, under an optimized experimental condition i.e. ten wt% I/Ti doping ratio and 10 wt % PEG content, the degradation rate of the I-2/TiO2 film was significantly better, with over 95% conversion ratio of RhB after 360 min of visible radiation. Subsequently, cycling degradation assay was taken, and the result showed that the film maintained an effective activity after 3 successive cycling experiments. This work may provide new insights into the design of flat and mechanical stable photocatalyst film with efficient visible light activity toward dyes and small organics degradation.