Preparation of silver nanoparticle loaded mesoporous TiO2 and its photocatalytic property

Abstract

A series of Ag-modified mesoporous titania (TiO2) particles with various silver contents were prepared by photoreduction. The prepared Ag-TiO2 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopic (DRS) techniques. The visible light photocatalytic property was demonstrated for photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) solution. The results showed that Ag nanoparticles were firmly immobilized on the TiO2 surface, which improved electron-hole separation by forming the Schottky barrier at the Ag-TiO2 interface. The diffusion of reflectance UV-Vis spectra were also served as an indication that the Ag-TiO2 samples displayed higher red shifts in comparison with un-modified TiO2 sample. Under visible light, the optimal photoactivity was obtained for the sample m-TiO2-Ag-2.0wt%. The TiO2-Ag catalyst is likely to be used again for a number of times without any additional treatment.