Synthesis of silica-titania and silica-titania-magnetite hybrids and their functionalization and sensitization with Fe3+ ions for the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol under UV and visible light

Author(s)

Alexandre de Oliveira Jorgetto

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Araraquara. 2018-04-10.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Química. Araraquara
• Defense date: 2018-03-09
• Advisor: Gustavo Rocha de Castro

Abstract

The contamination of waters and groundwaters by toxic substances reduces the quality of water and can even make it inadequate for consumption. Currently, the conventional techniques for treatment of waters and wastewaters are not able to completely decontaminate them. This is attributed to the presence of partially removed/degraded andrecalcitrant substances such as chlorophenols (CPs) and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), since they persist in water even after the conventional treatment. This emphasizes the need for the development of more complete and sustainable processes that are also economically viable. For instance, heterogeneous photocatalysis utilizing UV-activated semiconductors for the production, mainly, of hydroxyl radicals is applied in the degradation of contaminants in aqueous medium. In this aspect, titanium oxide is the most used material in virtue of its high activity, low cost, stability, availability and suitable chemical, physical and biological properties. Despite so many advantages for the application of titanium oxide in heterogeneous photocatalysis, its application as slurries (to make better use of the surface area of particles) is still restrained by drawbacks related to separation/extraction steps. In this work, titania-based photocatalist hybrids were produced to perform heterogeneous photocatalysis of organic compounds in aqueous medium.As an alternative to implement particle separation from slurries, titania and mesoporous silica were deposited on the surface of magnetite cores. The incorporation of magnetite to the hybrid aimed to enable its magnetic separation from slurries whereas the incorporation of silica had the purpose of incrementing its activity by increasing the surface area of the hybrid material. A new route has been developed to perform the titania coating, which was based on the boiling of ethanolic medium. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the silica layer prevented phase conversion of magnetite cores to hematite after calcination. The formation of titania anatase phase was also observed for the hybrid materials for the mass composition of 43 % or greater. Infrared spectroscopy supported the presence of titania along with silica, and also pointed to a deposition limit for the titania layer that was also verified posteriorly through x-ray fluorescence spectrophotometry. Scanning electron microscopy enabled the observation of the formation and growth of anatase phase over magnetite-silica particles for compositions of 53 % or greater. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy demonstrated that Si and Ti were well- distributed over the magnetite-silica-titania particles. The hybrid material presented mesoporous structure likewise MCM-41, but with a smaller specific surface area of approximately 248 m2 g 1.29Si nuclear magnetic resonance provided evidence that silica and titania phases were chemically bonded. Photodegradation experiments demonstrated that magnetite-silica-titania hybrids are inefficient 4-chlorophenol adsorbents. The photocatalytic activity of the hybrids demonstrated to have relation with the growth of the titania texture, being the photoactive materials those with mass compositions of 53 % or greater. The kinetic behavior of the materials was found to have zero order and was pH-independent, having similar performances at pH 3.0 and 7.2. As the efficiencies of the hybrids are compared with those of commercial materials Hombikat 100 UV and Aeroxide® TiO2 P25, the decreasing order of efficiency could be obtained as Aeroxide® TiO2 P25 > Hombikat 100 UV >silica-titania hybrid > magnetite-silica-titania hybrid. Degradation experiments allowed to conclude that the incorporation of silica and magnetite to the titania photocatalists compromise their efficiencies; on the other hand, in the case of the materials containing magnetite cores, the possibility of magnetic retrieval may consist of a compensatory property with regard to practical application. To increment the photocatalytic activity of the materials, they underwent surface modification steps to have immobilized rubeanic acid (RA) either through sinalization or through direct adsorption. The complexation of Fe3+ to the surface of the hybrids was also tested in combination with rubeanic acid or without it to perform the sensitization of the photocatalysts. The immobilization of RA via silanization demonstrated to be more efficient, whereas its desorption could be verified for the material modified with RA by direct adsorption. In the case of hybrid materials modified with Fe3+ ions, the complexation of the ions led to a decay in their performance whereas no effect was observed at pH 6 for the material Hombikat 100 UV modified with Fe3+.More experiments are necessary to determine the initial degradation rates of the studied materials. In the experiments under visible light, only Hombikat 100 UV and its modified version presented photoactivity. When Fe3+-modified Hombikat 100 UV was tested at pH 3.0, evidence of increase in activity was noted under UV illumination. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/22955-2 - Synthesis of silica-titania and silica-titania-magnetite hybrids and their functionalization and sensitization with Fe3+ ions for the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol under UV and visible light
• Grantee: Alexandre de Oliveira Jorgetto
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate