Enhanced photocatalytic activity of supported TiO2 by selective surface modification of zeolite Y

Zeolite Y was treated using ammonium acetate and ammonium fluoride sequentially. As a consequence the aluminum from the surface was selectively removed. Then, loading with TiO2 (20 wt%) led to a final photocatalyst. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis (ICP-OES), N2 adsorption, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that 50% of the Al atoms were removed from the surface of the zeolite without affecting the framework structure. The TiO2/treated zeolite sample yielded 92% photocatalytic degradation of 10 ppm methyl orange (MO), a model pollutant, while the TiO2/parent zeolite converted only 7.6%. The mass normalized turnover rate (TORm) of the treated zeolite loaded with TiO2 was about 12 times higher than that of the parent zeolite loaded with the same amount of TiO2 precursor. This higher photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 supported on treated zeolite can be attributed to a more efficient interaction of the TiO2 with the zeolite leading to higher adsorption capacity. Reusability of the photocatalysts was assessed by performing three consecutive reaction cycles that showed no significant loss of photocatalytic activity.