Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Congo Red Dye Using Green-Synthesized TiO2 and PANI/TiO2 with Papaya Leaf as Bio-Reduction

Abstract

This study uses the green synthesis method to investigate the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and PANI/TiO2 nanocomposites (NCs). The in-situ polymerization method used the papaya leaf extract as a reducing agent. TiO2 NPs have a particle size of 56 nm and a band gap of 2.46 eV, while PANI/TiO2 NCs have a particle size of 44 nm and a band gap of 2.06 eV. The performance of TiO2 NPs and PANI/TiO2 NCs as semiconductor-based photocatalysis was evaluated using Congo red dye degradation. The results showed that PANI/TiO2 NCs have better photocatalytic performance with a Congo red dye degradation rate of 97.12 %, higher than TiO2 nanoparticles (95.52 %). This enhanced performance can contribute to the synergistic effect between the TiO2 and PANI, leading to improved charge separation and reduced recombination.