Solar active nano-TiO2 for mineralization of Reactive Red 120 and Trypan Blue : 1st Nano Update

Nano-TiO2 was synthesized by sol–gel method. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, transmission electron microscope (TEM), BET surface area measurement and DRS analysis. The formation of anatase phase nano-TiO2 was confirmed by XRD measurements and its crystalline size is found to be 15.2 nm. SEM images depict the crystalline nature of prepared TiO2. The BET surface area of prepared TiO2 is found to be 86.5 m2 g−1 which is higher than that of commercially available TiO2–P25. The photocatalytic activity of prepared anatase phase TiO2 has been tested for the degradation of two azo dyes: Reactive Red 120 (RR 120) and Trypan Blue (TB) using solar light. The photocatalytic activity of nano-TiO2 is higher than TiO2–P25 under solar light. The mineralization of dyes has been confirmed by chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurements.