Photocatalytic degradation of cationic and anionic dyes by a novel nanophotocatalyst of TiO2/ZnTiO3/αFe2O3 by ultraviolet light irradiation

In this study, TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method and then modified with ZnTiO3 and alpha Fe2O3 nanoparticles to enhance the photocatalytic properties. The synthesized materials were characterized by FESEM, XRD, FTIR, and UV-visible techniques and used to the removal of cationic azo dye (methylene blue) and anionic azo dye (methyl orange) from aqueous solutions. The factors affecting the photocatalytic degradation of dyes, including the initial concentration of dye, photocatalyst amount, pH of the dye solution, and the time of radiation were investigated. The TiO2 and TiO2/ZnTiO3/alpha Fe2O3 samples indicated a bandgap energy of 3.10 and 2.17 eV, respectively, which suggests better photocatalytic properties for TiO2/ZnTiO3/alpha Fe2O3 sample compared to TiO2. Also, the photocatalytic activity of TiO2/ZnTiO3/alpha Fe2O3 was further developed in the visible range. The relationship between the photocatalytic performance of the samples and their structures shows that ZnTiO3 and hematite deposits can significantly enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 nanoparticles.