Preparation of zinc titanate nanoparticles and their photocatalytic behaviors in the photodegradation of humic acid in water

A series of zinc titanate nanoparticles was successfully synthesized using a simple sol–gel technique. The composites were characterized by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ceramics international 2012-07, Vol.38 (5), p.4173-4180
Main Authors: Wang, Ya-wen, Yuan, Pei-Hong, Fan, Cai-Mei, Wang, Yan, Ding, Guang-Yue, Wang, Yun-Fang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
A. Sol–gel processes
B. Nanocomposites
C. Optical properties
Degradation
Humic acid
Hydroxyapatite
Nanoparticles
Nanostructure
Photocatalysis
Photocatalytic behaviors
Roasting
Titanates
Zinc
Zinc titanate
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A series of zinc titanate nanoparticles was successfully synthesized using a simple sol–gel technique. The composites were characterized by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis). The photocatalytic activity of samples was investigated by degradation of humic acid (HA) in water under xenon lamp. The sample calcined at 800°C was found to exhibit much higher photocatalytic activity than the other samples. The investigation of photocatalytic mechanism indicates that the holes (h+) and OH radicals may be the major reactive species for the degradation of HA. Meanwhile, the processing parameters such as the light source and the dosage of catalysts play an important role in tuning the photocatalytic activity. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity for the zinc titanate nanoparticles calcined at 800°C may be attributed to the higher redox ability, coordination of Ti ions and smaller particle size.
ISSN:0272-8842
1873-3956
DOI:10.1016/j.ceramint.2012.01.078