Rational Design of Zirconium-doped Titania Photocatalysts with Synergistic Brønsted Acidity and Photoactivity

Abstract

The preparation of photocatalysts with high activities under visible-light illumination is challenging. We report the rational design and construction of a zirconium-doped anatase catalyst (S-Zr-TiO₂ ) with Brønsted acidity and photoactivity as an efficient catalyst for the degradation of phenol under visible light. Electron microscopy images demonstrate that the zirconium sites are uniformly distributed on the sub-10 nm anatase crystals. UV-visible spectrometry indicates that the S-Zr-TiO₂ is a visible-light-responsive catalyst with narrower band gap than conventional anatase. Pyridine-adsorption infrared and acetone-adsorption ¹³ C NMR spectra confirm the presence of Brønsted acidic sites on the S-Zr-TiO₂ sample. Interestingly, the S-Zr-TiO₂ catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity in the degradation of phenol under visible-light illumination, owing to a synergistic effect of the Brønsted acidity and photoactivity. Importantly, the S-Zr-TiO₂ shows good recyclability.

Keywords: heterogeneous catalysis; oxidation; sulfur; titania; zirconium.