Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and Rifampicinum destruction over carbon-modified TiO2

• Published in: Research on chemical intermediates 2022, Vol.48 (1), p.13-28
• Main Authors: Khalyavka, T. A., Shapovalova, M. V., Korzhak, G. V., Shcherban, N. D., Khyzhun, O. Y., Camyshan, S. V., Permyakov, V. V., Scherbakov, S. N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Additives; Anatase; Carbon; Catalysis; Catalytic activity; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Electron microscopy; Electron probe microanalysis; Electron probes; Hydrogen evolution; Hysteresis loops; Infrared analysis; Infrared spectroscopy; Inorganic Chemistry; Microscopy; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Photoelectrons; Photoproduction; Physical Chemistry; Sol-gel processes; Spectrum analysis; Synthesis; Titanium; Titanium dioxide; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X ray powder diffraction; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 0922-6168; 1568-5675
• DOI: 10.1007/s11164-021-04609-1

Carbon-modified TiO 2 using a sol–gel method (TiO 2 /C SG ) and mechanochemical treatment (TiO 2 /C MC ) was obtained. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with an integrated system for electron microprobe analysis (SEM, EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Infrared (IR) and Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy were applied for the powders characterization. The presence of a hysteresis loop in the nitrogen ad(de)sorption isotherms for the synthesized samples proved their mesoporous structure. XRD analysis revealed the anatase and rutile phase in TiO 2SG with a size of 10 and 7 nm, respectively, and only anatase phase (15–16 nm) for all TiO 2 /C SG samples modified by a sol–gel method was observed. Carbon additives to TiO 2 did not lead to significant shifts in the peaks of bond energies of Ti 2 p , O 1 s and C 1 s levels. The powders TiO 2 /C SG had additional bands in IR-spectra which are characteristic bonds of carbon with oxygen unlike the TiO 2 /C MC samples. It was found that modification of titanium dioxide with carbon by a sol–gel method leads to the band gap narrowing. Photocatalytic activity of the synthesized samples was investigated in H 2 photoproduction and Rifampicinum (RF) photodestruction. The TiO 2 /C SG samples showed higher photocatalytic activity in both reactions compared to TiO 2 /C MC . The correlation between the RF photocatalytic degradation degree and RF adsorption was demonstrated. The reusability of the powders in RF photodegradation was checked.