Nickel(II) oxide surface-modified titanium(IV) dioxide as a visible-light-active photocatalyst

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photocatalysis
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a widely studied photocatalyst, but its efficiency under visible light is limited.
• Surface modification of TiO2 is a key strategy to enhance its photocatalytic performance.
• Developing efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts is crucial for environmental applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of electronic modification of TiO2 with highly dispersed nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles on its photocatalytic activity.
• To compare the visible-light and UV-light photocatalytic performance of NiO-modified TiO2 with unmodified TiO2 and iron oxide-modified TiO2.
• To explore the potential of NiO-TiO2 for visible-light photocatalysis.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of NiO nanoparticles smaller than 2 nm onto TiO2 using the chemisorption-calcination-cycle technique.
• Characterization of the modified materials to confirm the presence and dispersion of NiO.
• Evaluation of photocatalytic activity under both visible and UV light irradiation.

Main Results:

• The NiO-modified TiO2 exhibited significantly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity.
• The observed visible-light activity exceeded that of TiO2 modified with iron oxide.
• Simultaneously, the UV-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 was also substantially increased.
• The small size (ca. 2 nm) and high dispersion of NiO particles are crucial for the observed improvements.

Conclusions:

• Electronic modification of TiO2 with nano-sized NiO particles is an effective strategy to create highly active visible-light photocatalysts.
• NiO-modified TiO2 demonstrates superior performance compared to iron oxide-modified TiO2 for visible-light photocatalysis.
• The enhanced activity under both visible and UV light suggests broad applicability of this modified material.