Nano structured TiO2 thin films in the efficient removal of β-estradiol from aqueous solution: physico-chemical studies

A template synthesis was performed to obtain the Nanostructured TiO2 thin films by the polyethylene glycol (PEG) as template medium. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) methods were utilized to characterize these materials. Similarly, the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images were obtained to demonstrate the surface morphology of thin films. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area along with pore sizes was obtained by the N-2 adsorption/desorption method. The thin film samples were intended to employ for photocatalytic removal of an emerging micro-pollutant beta-estradiol from aqueous solutions. The physico-chemical parametric studies were conducted to deduce the mechanism involved in degradation process. The presence of several cations and anions was assessed in photocatalytic degradation of beta-estradiol. Radical scavengers were employed to obtain possible pathway of catalytic degradation of beta-estradiol. An apparent mineralization of beta-estradiol was obtained. Multiple cycles of operation were conducted using the thin film to ensure the repeated applicability of photo-catalyst for successive operations. The modification of TiO2 with PEG showed greater hydrophilic behavior and hence; enhances the catalytic degradation of beta-estradiol.