Synthesis and characterization of porphyrin-TiO2 core-shell nanoparticles as visible light photocatalyst

A sol-gel reaction was used to prepare core-shell nanoparticles of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)-21H,23H-porphine (PF6) with titania (TiO2) coating. PF6 molecules would self-assemble to form dispersed PF6 nanoparticles in water during dialysis. The resulting PF6-TiO2 core-shell nanoparticle was characterized using several methods, revealing a thin TiO2 layer coated on the surface of the PF6 nanoparticles and confirming the chemical composition of the core-shell structures. The absorption spectrum of the PF6-TiO2 core-shell nanoparticle was extended to 300-500 nm, which greatly enhanced the photocatalytic efficiency in the visible light spectrumcompared to that of bare TiO2.