Mixed phase V doped titania shows high photoactivity for disinfection of Escherichia coli and detoxification of phenol

Mixed phase titania is known to be a better photocatalyst than its pristine phases under UV irradiation for detoxification and disinfection applications. Photocatalytic activity of visible active vanadium doped titania has been explored under visible light with the objectives—(i) to compare the performance of anatase, rutile, mixed phases of V doped titania, and (ii) to investigate the activity of the V doped titania phases both for disinfection and detoxification applications. The performance was investigated in terms of degradation of phenol and inactivation of Escherichia coli bacteria. The samples were characterized using XRD, SEM,TEM, EDAX and UV-DRS analyses. The photocatalytic detoxification and disinfection performance of the samples were evaluated in terms of rate constant and photonic efficiency/microbicidal photonic efficiency. All the TiV oxide samples (particle size∼30–100 nm) showed visible light activity. The V-doped mixed phase titania catalyst consistently showed superior photocatalytic detoxification and disinfection activity compared to V-doped pristine titania samples. This enhancement in photoactivity observed in V-doped mixed phase titania may be attributed to the effective charge carrier separation as per interfacial model of mixed phase titania.

► Comparison of photoactivity anatase, rutile and mixed phases of V doped titania.
► Thorough study of photocatalytic detoxification and disinfection potential of the three phases.
► High activity of mixed phase titania with V doping established for both the applications.