Enhancement of the photocatalytic performance of Ni-loaded TiO2 photocatalyst under sunlight

A highly sunlight active Ni-loaded TiO2 nanocomposite (Ni/TiO2) is successfully prepared by a simple chemical reduction method using tetrabutyl titanate as a precursor, Ni(NO3)2·6H2O as a nickel source, and N2H4·H2O as a reductant, respectively. The crystal structure, morphology and UV–vis diffuse reflectance characteristics are investigated by XRD, TEM, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, while the photocatalytic performance of Ni/TiO2 is evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange solution under UV and sunlight irradiation. Results show that the crystal structure of TiO2 is not changed upon the loading of Ni, the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 under both UV-light and sunlight, however, is enhanced greatly. The enhancement of the photocatalytic performance of Ni/TiO2 is attributed to the increase of the photogenerated electron–hole separation efficiency and the advanced absorption of light due to surface plasmon effect of Ni nanoparticles.