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The effect of Zr loading in Zr/TiO2 prepared by pressurized hot water on its surface, morphological and photocatalytic properties

  • Original Paper: Nano-structured materials (particles, fibers, colloids, composites, etc.)
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Abstract

Zr/TiO2 anatase photocatalysts with 0.5, 1, 2, 5 and 7.5 mol.% Zr were prepared using pressurized hot water crystallization and their photocatalytic activity was explored in acid orange 7 photodegradation. Parent TiO2 was also prepared and tested. From all tested photocatalysts, 2 mol.% Zr/TiO2 showed the highest photoactivity, and 7.5 mol.% Zr/TiO2 showed the lowest photoactivity. The poor photoactivity of 7.5 mol.% Zr/TiO2 can be explained by the amorphous ZrO2 present in the surface layer (~1–3 μm depth) of TiO2 anatase nanocrystallite agregates which changed the aggregate morphology and shielded the anatase nanocrystallite surface. The type and amount of defects (e.g., oxygen vacancies, lattice defects) did not effect the photoactivity of Zr/TiO2 in AO7 photodegradation. The addition of Zr to TiO2 significantly affects the photocatalyst morphology and the location where amorphous ZrO2 forms. The optimal Zr loading in TiO2 was determined to be 2 mol.%.

Highlights

  • The type and amount of defects do no effect the Zr/TiO2 photoactivity.

  • Amorphous ZrO2 in surface layer of TiO2 agregates shields the anatase nanocrystallites surface.

  • Amorphous ZrO2 in surface layer of TiO2 agregates decreases the Zr/TiO2 anatase photoactivity

  • Zr4+ dopation in TiO2 affects crucially photocatalyst morphology.

  • 2 mol.% Zr/TiO2 shows the highest photoactivity in acid orange 7 degradation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported from ERDF “Institute of Environmental Technology – Excellent Research” (No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000853). Experimental results were accomplished using Large Research Infrastructure ENREGAT supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under project No. LM2018098. The financial support of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (project No. 14-23274S) is also gratefully acknowledged. XPS measurements were carried out with the equipment purchased thanks to the financial support of the NanoEnviCZ supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under project No. LM2015073. The authors also thank Dr. Martin Reli from IET VŠB-TUO for his guidance in photoelectrochemical measurements and advices with spectra interpretation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Technology, VŠB–Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 15/2172, 708 00, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic

    Jaroslav Lang, Lenka Matějová & Alexandr Martaus

  2. MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, Fotongatan 2, 225 92, Lund, Sweden

    Zdeněk Matěj

  3. Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 532 10, Pardubice, Czech Republic

    Libor Čapek

  4. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, Pasteurova 1, 400 96, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic

    Martin Kormunda

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  1. Jaroslav Lang
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Correspondence to Lenka Matějová.

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Lang, J., Matějová, L., Matěj, Z. et al. The effect of Zr loading in Zr/TiO2 prepared by pressurized hot water on its surface, morphological and photocatalytic properties. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 90, 369–379 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-019-04956-x

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