(200d) Flame Made Fe-Doped Tio2 as Visible-Light Activated Photocatalyst

For three decades, the conversion of ultraviolet (UV) or near UV to chemical energy using TiO2 photocatalyst has been well studied and proven to be successful. Unfortunately the high energy UV light source (with wavelength <380 nm) only constitutes a mere 3-5% of the solar spectrum that reaches the earth surface. Moreover, the TiO2 photocatalyst is almost inactive under visible light illumination thereby limiting its indoor applications. Hence, much effort has been invested in searching for a photocatalyst that can be activated by visible light. In this study, the synthesis of visible-light active Fe-doped TiO2 via the rapid Flame Spray Pyrolysis technique is investigated. Increasing the amount of Fe dopant was found to red-shift the bandgap of the composite material. Mineralisation of carboxylic acids, which form the majority of many aqueous pollutant intermediates, were chosen as photoactivity probe molecules. Under visible light illuminations (wavelength >380 nm) remarkable improvement was observed for Fe-doped TiO2 compared to undoped sample and commercial Degussa P25. Photodissolution studies of Fe were also carried out to assess the durability and reusability of the catalyst.