Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Using Ti-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Rapid Combustion

Sutthipoj Wongrerkdee; Sawitree Wongrerkdee; Chatdanai Boonruang; Supphadate Sujinnapram

doi:10.3390/toxics11010033

Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Using Ti-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Rapid Combustion

Toxics. 2022 Dec 29;11(1):33. doi: 10.3390/toxics11010033.

Authors

Sutthipoj Wongrerkdee¹, Sawitree Wongrerkdee², Chatdanai Boonruang^{3

4}, Supphadate Sujinnapram¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Kamphaeng Saen, Nakhon Pathom 73140, Thailand.
² Faculty of Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna Tak, Muang, Tak 63000, Thailand.
³ Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
⁴ Center of Excellence in Materials Science and Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.

Abstract

ZnO and Ti-doped ZnO (Ti-ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized using rapid combustion. The morphology of ZnO and Ti-ZnO featured nanoparticles within cluster-like structures. The ZnO and Ti-ZnO structures exhibited similar hexagonal wurtzite structures and crystal sizes. This behavior occurred because Zn²⁺ sites of the ZnO lattice were substituted by Ti⁴⁺ ions. The chemical structure characterization implied the major vibration of the ZnO structure. The physisorption analysis showed similar mesoporous and non-rigid aggregation structures for ZnO and Ti-ZnO using N₂ adsorption-desorption. However, Ti-ZnO demonstrated a specific surface area two times higher than that of ZnO. This was a major factor in improving the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). The photocatalytic degradation analysis showed a kinetic degradation rate constant of 2.54 × 10^-3 min^-1 for Ti-ZnO, which was almost 80% higher than that of ZnO (1.40 × 10^-3 min^-1). The transformation mechanism of MB molecules into other products, including carbon dioxide, aldehyde, and sulfate ions, was also examined.

Keywords: ZnO; combustion; methylene blue; photocatalyst; surface area; titanium.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Research Promotion and Technology Transfer Center (RPTTC), Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus (grant no. 202/2565); and the Department of Physics, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science, Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen Campus (grant no. PHY-2021/06 and PHY-2021/09).