Band Gap Implications on Nano-TiO₂ Surface Modification with Ascorbic Acid for Visible Light-Active Polypropylene...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising technology for pollutant degradation.
• Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is a widely used photocatalyst, but its efficiency under visible light is limited.
• Surface modification can enhance the performance of TiO₂ photocatalysts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of ascorbic acid surface modification on nano-TiO₂.
• To prepare and characterize a supported TiO₂ heterogeneous photocatalyst.
• To evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the modified catalyst for Alizarin Red S degradation under visible light.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of ascorbic acid-modified nano-TiO₂ supported on polypropylene.
• Characterization using SEM, RAMAN, XRD, XPS, PL, and DRS.
• Photodegradation experiments of Alizarin Red S under visible light.

Main Results:

• Successful preparation of a supported heterogeneous photocatalyst with modified TiO₂ nanoparticles.
• Characterization confirmed surface changes and structural properties.
• The modified TiO₂ exhibited an altered dye adsorption mechanism and improved visible light photocatalytic activity for Alizarin Red S degradation.
• A correlation between photocatalytic efficiency and energy band gap was observed.

Conclusions:

• Ascorbic acid surface modification favorably alters TiO₂ nanoparticles.
• The supported nano-TiO₂ photocatalyst demonstrates enhanced performance for visible light degradation of organic dyes.
• This modified photocatalyst shows potential for environmental remediation applications.