New Surface Aspects towards Photocatalytic Activity of Doped Supported Titanium Dioxide

The present work aims to synthesize nanoscale well dispersed TiO2/SiO2 and TiO2/Al2O3 nanoparticle photocatalysts via an impregnation method for the removal of methyl orange, which was used as a model compound of organic pollutant in wastewater, from an aqueous medium. Also within this frame work, La and Ce metals were loaded onto the surfaces of TiO2/SiO2 and TiO2/Al2O3 by an impregnation method to enhance the photocatalytic activity of the nanoparticles; the activities and physicochemical properties of the photocatalysts were compared before and after loading of metallic La and Ce. The oxide system was characterized by different techniques, including XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, and EDX spectroscopy. Finally, the optimal conditions to complete the photocatalytic oxidation of methyl orange dye were studied. This work holds promise for the efficient photodegradation of pollutants by nanoparticle photocatalysts