Photodegradation of Methylene Blue with Ag2O/TiO2 under Visible Light: Operational Parameters

Ag2O modified TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by precipitation and wet impregnation method. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction technique, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was performed to quantify Ag amount in the photocatalysts. The photocatalysts occurred in the concentration range of 0.05%-2% in the Ag/Ti molar ratio. The photocatalytic activity was investigated for the degradation of methylene blue as a model organic dye. Optimum reaction conditions were determined to provide maximum dye degradation efficiencies under visible light. Under visible light illumination, C2-Ag2O/TiO2 (Ag/Ti=0.1/100) showed the highest activity. Reaction rate constants were calculated and compared for various reaction conditions.