Effects of the surface of solar-light photocatalytic activity of Ag-doped TiO2 nanohybrid material prepared with a novel approach

• Published in: Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Materials science & processing, 2021, Vol.127 (4), Article 269
• Main Authors: Nagaraj, G., Mohammed, Mustafa K. A., Abdulzahraa, Haider G., Sasikumar, P., Karthikeyan, S., Tamilarasu, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorption spectra; Anatase; Applied physics; Catalytic activity; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Condensed Matter Physics; Light irradiation; Machines; Manufacturing; Materials science; Methylene blue; Morphology; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Optical and Electronic Materials; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Processes; Rutile; Silver; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Titanium dioxide
• ISSN: 0947-8396; 1432-0630
• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-021-04427-7

Surface modification with a nanomaterial has been confirmed to be an effective strategy to enhance the visible-light photodegradation efficiency of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 -NPs). In this regard, we used silver as an additive into TiO 2 -NPs to improve their photodegradation activity under visible light irradiation. Here, a novel and eco-friendly process was developed to prepare the Ag-doped TiO 2 nanohybrid and named as photon-induced method (PIM). The XRD technique showed that the prepared Ag-doped TiO 2 has mixed phases of anatase and rutile. However, the rutile-only phase was detected for the pure TiO 2 -NPs at 700 °C of calcination. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption spectra revealed a reduction in the energy bandgap of TiO 2 after Ag doping. Besides, the addition of Ag resulted in a significant improvement of TiO 2 morphology. Methylene blue (MB) dye was chosen to be an organic target to investigate the photocatalyst activity of the TiO 2 -NPs. In this regard, the degradation rate of MB was found to be 100% for the Ag-doped TiO 2 , which is higher than that of pure rutile TiO 2 . The incorporation of Ag additive plays a significant role in the improvement of TiO 2 stability and photodegradation performance due to the surface plasmon resonance phenomenon.