Insights into the photosensitization activity of zirconium-titanium pyrophosphate under visible light irradiation

Mesoporous zirconium-titanium pyrophosphate (ZTPP) was prepared by a facile sol-gel method. The ZTPP materials showed highly specific surface areas. XPS and EPR results confirmed the presence of Ti3+ and oxygen vacancies. The ZTPP exhibited excellent photosensitization activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The possible photosensitization mechanism was proposed by using different active species quenchers, measurement of EPR and determining the band structure. This work suggests the oxygen vacancy defect state can be introduced by the bimetallic synergistic effect to enhance the photosensitization efficiency of the catalyst with a wide bandgap. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.