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Thiophene-Based Oligomers Formed in-situ: A Novel Sensitizer Material of TiO2/HY Hybrid Material

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Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) or titania is only photoactive under ultraviolet irradiation (λ ≤ 390 nm), which limits its applications under visible light. Different sensitizers have been used to increase the semiconductor’s photo-response range, and π-conjugated systems are promising for this application. In this work, the use of protonated thiophene-based oligomers (OTn+) as sensitizers, was tested, due its characteristics such as thermal and chemical stability. These compounds can be formed by the reaction of thiophene and Brönsted acid sites on protonic zeolite Y. This work presents the synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic evaluation of a novel hybrid material, TiO2-OTn+/HY. The hybrid material was synthesized by an acid-catalyzed sol–gel method obtaining nanoparticles of TiO2 attached to zeolite Y crystals; the OTn+ were corroborated by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and UV–Vis spectroscopy, species from the protonated thiophene monomer to the protonated pentathiophene were identified. Moreover, the photocatalytic experiments showed that the materials with OTn+ were faster than non-sensitized materials in the methyl orange degradation, in this way, a visible light active material is presented.

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Funding

Victor M. Rivera and Epifanio Morales-Zarate acknowledges the support of PRODEP-SEP “Fortalecimiento de Cuerpos Académicos—IDCA 29409” for the purchase of reagents and consumables. Gustavo A. Fuentes acknowledges the support of CONACyT and UAM for the purchase and maintenance of the UV–Vis Spectrometer. Benito Serrano acknowledges the support of the CONACyT project 221690—CB-2013-01.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Veracruzana, 91000, Xalapa, México

    Alejandro Suárez-Méndez, Epifanio Morales-Zárate & Victor M. Rivera

  2. Depto. Ing. Procesos e Hidráulica, Universidad A. Metropolitana, 09340, México, México

    Julio C. López-Curiel & Gustavo A. Fuentes

  3. Unidad Académica de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, 98160, Zacatecas, México

    Benito Serrano-Rosales

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  1. Alejandro Suárez-Méndez
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Correspondence to Victor M. Rivera.

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Suárez-Méndez, A., López-Curiel, J.C., Fuentes, G.A. et al. Thiophene-Based Oligomers Formed in-situ: A Novel Sensitizer Material of TiO2/HY Hybrid Material. Top Catal 65, 1218–1224 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11244-022-01654-x

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