Speaker
Description
Titanium dioxide is a n-type semiconductor and due to its wide optical band gap (Eg~ 3.3 eV) has numerous applications in various scientific areas such as photocatalysis, sensors, energy harvesting, etc. Its photocatalytic properties have been used in a big number of environmental applications focusing on the removal of contaminants from water. Degussa P25, is a titania photocatalyst in the form of powder that is used widely due to its relatively high levels of activity in many photocatalytic reaction systems.
Sol-gel grown TiO2 thin films pure or doped with Degussa were deposited on glass substrates by spin-coating under different conditions. The films were thermally treated at 500 °C, to obtain the anatase phase.The film properties were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, profilometry, UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopyand field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The photocatalytic activity of all films was evaluated by measuring the rate of atrazine decomposition under UV-A irradiation. All films show significant photocatalytic activity but the film doped with Degussa showed more than double decomposition rate.
Acknowledgements
This research is co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) through the Regional Operational Programme “Attica 2014-2020” in the context of the project “Photocatalytic reactors for water and liquid waste purification with immobilized photocatalysts on micro/nanopatterned surfaces” (MIS 5185074) under the Action “Research and Innovation Synergies in the Region of Attica”.
