Photoconversion of 4-nitrophenol in the presence of hydrazine with AgNPs-TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by the sol-gel method

The photocatalytic properties of functionalized TiO2 with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for the conversion of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the presence of hydrazine were investigated. The TiO2 semiconductor synthesized by the sol-gel method was functionalized with AgNPs at different loadings, and their structural and optical properties were characterized by several techniques. The functionalized TiO2 with 1.5 wt% AgNPs presented the highest photocatalytic activity for the conversion of 4-nitrophenol with appropriate hydrazine concentrations (0.5 M). The photoefficiency enhancement under UV light irradiation was attributed to the electron transfer from the TiO2 semiconductor surface to the adsorbed acceptor reactant (4-nitrophenol) through the deposited AgNPs. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.