Influence of ammonia on properties of TiO2-MgFe2O4 as high visible-light active photocatalysts for the degradation of Rhodamine B

Abstract

The influence of ammonia on TiO2-MgFe2O4 catalysts synthesized via a hydrolysis and co-precipitation, followed by calcination at 500°C, was studied. Two different catalysts, TiO2-MgFe2O4 (Am) and TiO2-MgFe2O4 (W), were prepared using Ti-precursors, which were synthesized by the hydrolysis of Ti-butoxide with and without ammonia. The resulting TiO2-MgFe2O4 catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), specific surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance techniques. It was revealed that strong electronic coupling exists between the TiO2 and MgFe2O4 components within the TiO2-MgFe2O4 catalysts. Photocatalytic activity toward Rhodamine B (RhB) was investigated in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. TiO2-MgFe2O4 (W) was found to be an effective catalyst and had several advantages over TiO2-MgFe2O4 (Am). These results clearly highlight that ammonia had a significant influence on the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2-MgFe2O4 catalysts. Therefore, the results reported herein indicate that TiO2-MgFe2O4 is a green, low-cost, and highly efficient photocatalyst for environmental remediation.