title: Preparation and characterization of tungsten-loaded titanium dioxide photocatalyst for enhanced dye degradation.
abstract: Tungsten-loaded TiO(2) photocatalyst has been successfully prepared and characterized. TEM analysis showed that the photocatalysts were nanosize with the tungsten species forming layers of coverage on the surface of TiO(2), but not in clustered form. This was confirmed by XRD and FT-Raman analyses where tungsten species were well dispersed at lower loading (<6.5 mol%), but were in crystalline WO(3) at higher loadings (>12 mol%). In addition, loading with tungsten could stabilize the anatase phase from transforming into inactive rutile phase and did not shift the optical absorption to the visible region as shown by DRUV-vis analysis. PZC value of TiO(2) was found at 6.4, but the presence of tungsten at 6.5 mol% WO(3), decreased the PZC value to 3. Tungsten-loaded TiO(2) was superior to unmodified TiO(2) with 2-fold increase in degradation rate of methylene blue, and equally effective for the degradation of different class of dyes such as methyl violet and methyl orange at 1 mol% WO(3) loading.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Bandar Seri Iskandar, 31750 Tronoh, Perak D.R., Malaysia.
authors.lastname: Saepurahman
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Abdullah
authors.forename: F K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Chong
mesh_terms: D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D005840:Gentian Violet / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D008751:Methylene Blue / Q000737:chemistry; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053758:Nanoparticles; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*; D014414:Tungsten / Q000737:chemistry*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D004396:Coloring Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C009495:titanium dioxide; C100258:methyl orange; D014025:Titanium; D005840:Gentian Violet; D008751:Methylene Blue; D014414:Tungsten