Visible light-induced degradation of phenolic compounds by Sudan black dye sensitized TiO2 nanoparticles as an advanced photocatalytic material

Using a simple impregnation process, the present study has introduced a novel route for the photosensitization of TiO2 nanoparticles using Sudan black B dye as a sensitizer. DRS, XRD, FE-SEM, BET, UV-Vis, FT-IR and TGA-DSC analyses were considered for characterization of the synthesized purple powder as a visible light photocatalyst for removal of the phenolic pollutant. The band gap of the dye-sensitized TiO2 and corresponding BET surface area were 2.9 eV and 50.0 m(2) g(-1), respectively. Based on the results, Sudan Black sensitized TiO2 photocatalyst outperforms the pure commercial TiO2 (Degussa P25) in terms of phenol degradation under visible light. Under a 100-min photo-catalytic experiment, dye-sensitized TiO2 removed 96 % of the phenol content. The Sudan black B dye-sensitized TiO2 is expected to show further interesting physical characteristics related to potential uses.