Nanostructured AgBr loaded TiO₂: An efficient sunlight active photocatalyst for degradation of Reactive Red 120

• Main Authors: Sreedhar Bojja, Velmurugan Rengasamy, Swaminathan Meenakshisundaram
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2011-07-01
• Series: Chemistry Central Journal
• Online Access: http://journal.chemistrycentral.com/content/5/1/46
• ISSN: 1752-153X

<p>Abstract</p> <p>The AgBr loaded TiO₂catalyst was prepared by a feasible approach with AgBr and tetraisopropyl <it>ortho</it>titanate and characterized by BET surface area measurement, diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectra (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis. The results of characterization reveal that AgBr loaded TiO₂has a nanostructure. Formation of the nanostructure in AgBr loaded TiO₂results in substantial shifting of the absorption edge of TiO₂to red and enhancement of visible light absorption. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements reveal that AgBr loaded TiO₂has a higher photoconductivity than prepared TiO₂due to higher separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs. Cyclic voltammetric studies reveal enhanced conductivity in AgBr loaded TiO₂, which causes an increase in its photocatalytic activity. AgBr loaded TiO₂exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity than TiO₂-P25 and prepared TiO₂in the photodegradation of Reactive Red 120 (RR 120).</p>