T. Čižmar (Author), Urška Lavrenčič Štangar (Author), Iztok Arčon (Author)

Abstract

Copper-modified TiO2–SiO2photocatalysts were prepared by sol–gel method based on organic copper,silicon and titanium precursors. Copper concentration varied from 0.1 to 3.0 mol%. A widely appliedmodel reaction of photocatalytic oxidation of terephtalic acid (TPA) in water solution was used in order toevaluate the catalytic activities of elaborated samples. The crystal structures of the titania components ofall tested titania–silica species were studied using XRD analysis. The influence of Cu2+cation incorporationon the crystal structure of titania, as well as the chemical states and the neighbouring structures of coppercations, have been examined by means of Cu K-edge EXAFS and XANES analysis. The experimental datashow that there is a ten times increase in photocatalytic activity when TiO2–SiO2matrix is modified with0.1 mol% of Cu. It can be supposed that an enhancement of photocatalytic activity of low-concentratedcopper-modified titania–silica nanocomposites is probably due to a close attachment of Cu2+cationsto the surfaces of photocatalytically active TiO2nanoparticles. In this case, Cu2+cations may possiblyact as free electron traps reducing the intensity of recombination between opposite free charge carriers(electrons, holes) available at the photocatalyst’s surface.

Keywords

Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 photocatalysts;titanium dioxide;metal doping;Cu K-edge XANES;EXAFS;photocatalytic activity;

Data

Language: English
Year of publishing:
Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization: UNG - University of Nova Gorica
UDC: 54
COBISS: 4639227 Link will open in a new window
ISSN: 0920-5861
Views: 4471
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Other data

URN: URN:SI:UNG
Type (COBISS): Not categorized
Pages: str. 155-160
Issue: ǂVol. ǂ287
Chronology: 2017
DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2016.11.039
ID: 9250388