Salicylic acid-sensitised titanium dioxide for photocatalytic degradation of fast green FCF under visible light irradiation

Synthesis and modification of salicylic acid (SA) adsorbed titanium dioxide (SA-TiO2) was proposed through a sol-gel reaction following annealing treatment. The prepared SA-TiO2 exhibited visible light absorption because of the formation of an intramolecular ligand to metal charge transfer transition. The photocatalytic activity of SA-TiO2 for the degradation of fast green FCF under visible light irradiation was evaluated. The experimental results suggest that the enhanced photocatalytic activity of SA-TiO2 is attributed to the visible light absorption ability. Moreover, center dot OH and center dot O-2(-) radicals are major active species involved in dye degradation. The practicality of SA-TiO2 was validated through the degradation of various dyestuff in environmental water samples under visible light irradiation.