Enhanced Methylene Blue Dye Degradation by Newly Synthesized Ag2O-TiO2 Heterostructure
J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Volume 3, No 4 (December 2014) pp. 105-111
Abstract
Silver (Ag) coated TiO2 heterostructure was prepared by precipitation method using equal ratio of silver nitrate (AgNO3) and as-synthesized TiO2 nanobelt. The X-ray diffraction study results indicate high crystalline nature of the Ag2O/TiO2 heterostructure. The surface morphology of Ag2O/TiO2 heterostructure has thoroughly been investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The stability and thermal studies of Ag2O/TiO2 heterostructure were examined by using Zeta analyzer and Differential Scanning Calorimetry, respectively. Photocatalytic activity studies were carried out using Methylene Blue (MB) as a model molecule to highlight the consequence of Ag2O/TiO2 heterostructure. The reuse of Ag2O/TiO2 nanobelt after annealing shows the excellent recovery of the catalyst. These studies may contribute to additional applications of hierarchical Ag2O/TiO2 heterostructure membranes, including harnessing sunlight for water treatment and photo catalytic activity.
