Synthesis, characterization and activity of an immobilized photocatalyst: Natural porous diatomite supported titania nanoparticles

• Diatomite supported nanosized TiO2 composite was synthesized.
• The as-prepared composites were systematically characterized.
• The effect of calcination and support on removal efficiency was investigated.
• The adsorption and photocatalysis for RhB in aqueous solution were studied.
• TiO2/diatomite composites shown potential prospects in practical application.

Diatomite, a porous non-metal mineral, was used as support to prepare TiO2/diatomite composites by a modified sol–gel method. The as-prepared composites were calcined at temperatures ranging from 450 to 950 °C. The characterization tests included X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements. The XRD analysis indicated that the binary mixtures of anatase and rutile exist in the composites. The morphology analysis confirmed the TiO2 particles were uniformly immobilized on the surface of diatom with a strong interfacial anchoring strength, which leads to few drain of photocatalytic components during practical applications. In further XPS studies of hybrid catalyst, we found the evidence of the presence of Ti–O–Si bond and increased percentage of surface hydroxyl. In addition, the adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity of synthesized TiO2/diatomite composites were evaluated by studying the degradation kinetics of aqueous Rhodamine B under UV-light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation was found to follow pseudo-first order kinetics according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. The preferable removal efficiency was observed in composites by 750 °C calcination, which is attributed to a relatively appropriate anatase/rutile mixing ratio of 90/10.

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