Preparation and study of TiO2 nanoparticles doped with Fe processed by hydrothermal synthesis

• Grant number: 12/09872-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Fenelon Martinho Lima Pontes
• Grantee: Nágila El Chamy Maluf
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The environmental problems generated by industrial and human activities have increased the need for the development of alternative technologies for the remediation of contaminated aquatic systems. The heterogeneous photocatalysis using titanium dioxide, has been shown effective in this aspect. In order to increase the photocatalyst's efficiency many scientific studies have used the doping of these materials with other elements. Thus, this project aims to synthesize nanoparticles of TiO2 doped with Fe for use in catalysis of organic pollutants oxidation reactions. The nanostructures will be synthesized by the hydrothermal route, using titanium isopropoxide as a precursor of TiO2. The materials will be characterized by XRD, FT-Raman, FTIR, BET and SEM. To evaluate the materials' photocatalytic property tests will be performed using degradation of the dyes Phenolphthalein and Bromothymol blue under UV light, white light and sunlight. The extent of the molecule's degradation will be measured by UV-Vis Spectroscopy. With the analysis of the results will be possible establish correlations between the photocatalytic activity and geometric, structure surface and morphology of this compounds. As a result, the synthesis process of nanostructured TiO2 doped with Fe could be improved in order to produce materials that show highyiels in the photocatalytic degradation reactions of organic pollutants. (AU)