Ni-, Pt- and (Ni/Pt)-doped TiO₂ nanophotocatalysts : a smart approach for sustainable degradation of Rhodamine B dye
Pol, Roberto (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Química)
Guerrero, Miguel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Física)
García-Lecina, Eva (IK4-CIDETEC. Unidad Superfícies)
Altube, Ainhoa (IK4-CIDETEC. Unidad Superfícies)
Rossinyol Casals, Emma (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Servei de Microscòpia)
Garroni, Sebastiano (Università degli Studi di Sassari. Dipartimento di Chimica e Farmacia)
Baró, M. D.. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Física)
Pons Picart, Josefina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Química)
Sort Viñas, Jordi (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Física)
Pellicer Vilà, Eva Maria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Física)

Date:	2016
Abstract:	Ni (1 wt%)-, Pt (1 wt%)- and [Ni (0. 5 wt%)/Pt (0. 5 wt%)]-doped TiO₂ nanoporous catalysts have been successfully obtained through a facile two-step hydrothermal route. TiO₂ crystallizes mostly in the anatase phase and acts as a mesoporous matrix. Meanwhile, Ni, Pt and Ni/Pt dopants form small nanoparticles (NPs) (3-95 nm in diameter) which are hosted by the TiO₂ framework. The resulting composites exhibit a rather large surface area, in the range of 186-200 m2/g. The band gap energy reduces from 3. 03 eV for the undoped TiO₂ to 2. 15 eV for the Pt-loaded TiO₂. As a consequence, absorption expands toward the visible light range. The photodegradation of Rhodamine B dye in aqueous medium has been investigated under UV-vis light irradiation. The presence of Ni, Pt and Ni/Pt NPs significantly enhances the photocatalytic activity of the material. Furthermore, the Ni-doped TiO₂ shows ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature, which makes its recovery and subsequent fast reutilization possible. Interestingly, this sample also exhibits the best stability upon recycling. Considering all the current challenges in sustainable water remediation, these new photocatalysts could find applications in real environmental contexts in the near future.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2011-27380-C02-01 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2011-27380-C02-02 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2014-57960-C3-1-R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2014-57960-C3-2-R Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad RYC-2012-10839 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-1015 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2013/BP-B 00077
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Photocatalyst ; Nanoporosity ; Titania ; Magnetic properties ; Water remediation
Published in:	Applied catalysis. B, Environmental, Vol. 181 (Feb. 2016) , p. 270-278, ISSN 0926-3373

DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2015.08.006

Post-print 34 p, 2.0 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Group of Smart Nanoengineered Materials, Nanomechanics and Nanomagnetism (Gnm3)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles