Study of photoanodes consisting of TiO2 nanotubes modified with vanadium photoeletrocatalytic application

• Grant number: 14/19328-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2014
• End date: October 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Roberto de Vasconcelos Lanza
• Grantee: Paulo Jorge Marques Cordeiro Junior
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Modern society is facing several environmental problems like the contamination of the water, which is one of the most serious. In order to minimize these impacts, studies with advanced oxidation processes (AOP) are receiving more prominence. The AOP are based on the production of hydroxyl radicals, which have high oxidation potential that makes them capable of degrade many classes of organic compounds. Among the methodologies included in the AOP lies the photoelectrocatalysis, which can be defined as a combination of electrocatalysis and photocatalysis technique. Among the semiconductors used in photoelectrocatalysis highlights the TiO2 due to its high photoactivity and chemical stability. However, TiO2 has its limitation as tight absorption band situated in the UV region. Therefore, the literature has reported some strategies to enhance absorption band which some of them are the modification by impregnating or doping with other metals. From this approach, this research project proposes the development of TiO2 nanotube electrodes using the electrochemical anodization technique and its modification with vanadium metal by using electrochemical methods. The prepared materials will be characterized by techniques of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance and photoactivity tests.