title: Photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanoparticles synthesized in presence of ammonium hexafluorosilicate.
abstract: A series of silicon incorporated TiO2 with anatase crystalline phase were prepared via sol-gel using ammonium hexafluorosilicate (AHFS). The synthesized products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, FTIR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry (DRS), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and BET surface area measurement. Presence of Si-O-Ti bonds is revealed based on the XPS results. The products were tested for their activity as photocatalysts for degradation of congo red as a prob molecule. The 20% AHFS incorporation displayed the highest photocatalytic activity. This adequate amount of AHFS was beneficial for transferring photogenerated electron and reducing the recombination of electron-holes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Guilan, Rasht 41335-1914, Iran.
authors.forename: Babak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seyghali
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Guilan, Rasht 41335-1914, Iran. Electronic address: zanjanchi@guilan.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zanjanchi
keywords: Ammonium hexafluorosilicate; Dye; Photocatalytic degradation; Sol–gel; TiO(2) nanoparticles