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Enhancement in photocatalytic selectivity of TiO2-based nano-catalyst through molecular imprinting technology

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Abstract

Improvement in the photocatalytic selectivity is imperative for the effective and efficient utilization of catalysts. In this study, a molecularly imprinted polymer-coated iron-doped titanium dioxide (Fe-TiO2@MIP) nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by precipitation polymerization while using RB-19 as a template. The synthesized nanocomposites (Fe-TiO2@MIP and Fe-TiO2@NIP) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–EMMETT–Teller (BET), and UV–visible spectrophotometry. The optimized binding experiments revealed a high imprinting factor of 5.0 for RB-19. The catalytic degradation efficiency and selectivity of Fe-TiO2@MIP enhanced to almost complete degradation of RB-19 from 70% for the parent Fe-TiO2 and 76% for Fe-TiO2@NIP. An outstanding degradation selectivity of RB-19 was achieved compared to other competitive dyes. Finally, the analysis of the non-degraded and degraded RB-19 by ESI–MS revealed the presence of different intermediates that fits well with the proposed degradation mechanism. The study opens new possibilities of selective photo-degradation of targeted contaminants that may ultimately lead to efficient use of photocatalysts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Abdul Wahab, Muhammad Ali Minhas & Muhammad Imran Malik

  2. Third World Center for Science and Technology, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Abdul Wahab, Muhammad Ali Minhas & Muhammad Imran Malik

  3. Food Quality and Safety Research Institute, PARC-Southern Zone Agricultural Research Centre, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ali Minhas

  4. National Center of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, 76080, Sindh, Pakistan

    Huma Shaikh

  5. Key Laboratory of Oilseeds Processing of Ministry of Agriculture, Hubei Key Laboratory of Lipid Chemistry and Nutrition, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China

    Hua-Ming Xiao

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  1. Abdul Wahab
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  4. Hua-Ming Xiao
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  5. Muhammad Imran Malik
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by AW and MAM. The first draft of the manuscript was written by AW, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Wahab, A., Minhas, M.A., Shaikh, H. et al. Enhancement in photocatalytic selectivity of TiO2-based nano-catalyst through molecular imprinting technology. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 121929–121947 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-30747-7

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