In a paper published in the journal Inorganic Chemistry Communications, the team said it could be used as a sustainable technology to clean up the environment.
Metal oxide photocatalysis provides a sustainable solution for the removal of organic pollutants from water bodies. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and tungsten trioxide (WO3) are notable catalysts due to their high surface area and stability.
When these metals are exposed to light, they produce electron-hole pairs that convert pollutants into harmless by-products.
But, the choice of metal oxide, crystal structure, light parameters, pollutant concentration, pH and catalyst loading can affect the efficiency. Optimization of these factors is important to maximize degradation rate.
The team led by Arundhati Devi at IASST characterized and tested Ni-doped TiO2 on fuller's earth (NITF) as a photocatalyst for methylene blue decolorization.
"It achieved 96.15 percent decolorization of the dye solution at pH 9.0 under visible light for 90 minutes. Fuller's earth improved TiO2 adsorption in the dark, suggesting a cost-effective environmental photocatalyst," the team said.
Nanocomposites may have potential applications in catalysis, energy storage, sensors, optoelectronics, biomedical fields, coatings, and renewable energy generation through water splitting.
Metal oxide photocatalysis provides a sustainable solution for the removal of organic pollutants from water bodies. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and tungsten trioxide (WO3) are notable catalysts due to their high surface area and stability.
When these metals are exposed to light, they produce electron-hole pairs that convert pollutants into harmless by-products.
But, the choice of metal oxide, crystal structure, light parameters, pollutant concentration, pH and catalyst loading can affect the efficiency. Optimization of these factors is important to maximize degradation rate.
The team led by Arundhati Devi at IASST characterized and tested Ni-doped TiO2 on fuller's earth (NITF) as a photocatalyst for methylene blue decolorization.
"It achieved 96.15 percent decolorization of the dye solution at pH 9.0 under visible light for 90 minutes. Fuller's earth improved TiO2 adsorption in the dark, suggesting a cost-effective environmental photocatalyst," the team said.
Nanocomposites may have potential applications in catalysis, energy storage, sensors, optoelectronics, biomedical fields, coatings, and renewable energy generation through water splitting.
