Visible-light induced photocatalytic degradation of fungicide with Fe and Si doped TiO2 nanoparticles

Iron (Fe) and Silica (Si) doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by surface impregnation method. The concentration of dopants, Fe (1%, 2%, 3% and 4%) and Si (3%, 5%, 7% and 9%) were varied for the preparation of doped TiO2 which were characterized by XRD, FESEM and TEM analysis. The TEM measurement shows that the particle size is in the range of 25-35 nm for Fe and Si doped TiO2. With the optimum dopant concentration i.e. 2% for Fe and 5% for Si, doped TiO2 showed nearly 98% degradation of fungicide carbendazim under sunlight. Optical measurements indicate that the absorption band edge of Fe and Si dopants were shifted towards visible wavelength. Band gap of doped and undoped TiO2 nanoparticles was measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Fe and Si doped TiO2 degrades fungicide much faster than the undoped TiO2 at optimum catalyst loading of 1g L-1. Result signifies that doped TiO2 (Fe, Si) have remarkable efficiency to degrade complex fungicide into smaller molecules, in the presence of sunlight. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.