Titanium(IV) oxide nanoparticles functionalized with various meso-porphyrins for efficient photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen in UV and visible light

Abstract

Hybrid materials based on nanometric size bare anatase titanium(IV) oxide and meso-functionalized porphyrins were obtained and subsequently characterized in terms of surface morphology with SEM, HR-TEM, nanoparticle size with NTA, crystallinity with XRD and chemical composition with UV-DRS, ATR-FTIR, TGA and Raman spectroscopy. Prepared nanoparticles were studied in photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen which is an example of an emerging contaminant from the area of pharmaceuticals. During photocatalytic tests, the materials were irradiated with four different wavelengths from UV and visible light ranges. Photocatalytic activity of hybrid materials was compared with bare titanium(IV) oxide and, in the case of said materials, the activity was dependent on the peripheral substituents of porphyrins with different anchoring groups and the wavelengths used for irradiation. For the UV light range tests, hybrid materials showed similar or higher photoactivity in photodegradation of ibuprofen (average 83% and 87% reduction of initial ibuprofen concentration) when compared to bare titanium(IV) oxide (86% reduction). The hybrid materials showed adequate photoactivity (29% and 43% reduction) in the ibuprofen photodegradation study under visible light, unlike bare titanium(IV) oxide (zero activity). Acute toxicities of hybrid materials were studied using Microtox.