Application of TiO2 nanoparticles with natural chlorophyll as the catalyst for visible light photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange and antibacterial

In this study, chlorophyll was extracted from Premna serratifolia leaves via the ultrasonication method. The ti-tanium dioxide (TiO2) was fabricated from titanium (IV) isopropoxide via the hydrolysis of the alkoxide. The chlorophyll-TiO2 was fabricated via the incipient wetness impregnation method, while the effects of the chlo-rophyll on the reaction process were also investigated. The characterization of the material was also evaluated via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR), Raman, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), photoluminescence (PL), and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The chlorophyll-TiO2 with the concentration of 0.6 mg/L (0.6Chl-TiO2) possessed the highest methyl orange (MO) photodegradation efficiency of 90.79 %, which was 3.5 times higher than the performance of the TiO2. The high MO photodegradation ef-ficiency of the material can be attributed to the participation of chlorophyll which efficaciously enhances light absorption and electron separations. Additionally, the 0.6Chl-TiO2 also exhibits a great antibacterial perfor-mance against Escherichia coli (E. coli) under the illumination of visible light. According to this study, it can be concluded that the resulting material can be potentially applied in a wide range of applications, including organic pollutant treatments and antibacterial activity in water sources.