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Influence of ThO2 on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2

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Central European Journal of Chemistry

Abstract

Microcomposites consisting of TiO2 (or Ce-doped TiO2) and ThO2 (0.5–2% of the TiO2 mass) are produced by sol-gel synthesis of TiO2 in presence of ThO2. X-ray diffraction study reveals the effects of ThO2 (compared to the ThO2-free TiO2, obtained by the same method) on the anatase interplanar distances, crystallites size and phase composition. The photocatalytic tests in presence of the composites under UV irradiation reveal an increase of the Malachite Green degradation rate constant. The effect depends on the Th relative content, temperature of annealing of the catalyst and addition of other doping agent. The highest photocatalytic activity is observed for TiO2 obtained at 550°C and containing 1% ThO2. The composite exhibits activity in dark, also. The presence of Ce4+ ions is not an obligatory requirement for the realization of the ThO2 effect. The reported results suggest that the radioactivity of the Th and/or its decay products is one of the main factors responsible for the increased photocatalytic activity of TiO2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Chemistry, University of Sofia, Sofia, 1164, Bulgaria

    Radina Kralchevska, Maria Milanova, Petya Kovacheva, Jovo Kolev & Dimitar Todorovsky

  2. Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria

    Georgi Avdeev

Authors
  1. Radina Kralchevska
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  2. Maria Milanova
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  3. Petya Kovacheva
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  4. Jovo Kolev
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  5. Georgi Avdeev
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  6. Dimitar Todorovsky
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Correspondence to Dimitar Todorovsky.

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Kralchevska, R., Milanova, M., Kovacheva, P. et al. Influence of ThO2 on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 . cent.eur.j.chem. 9, 1027–1038 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11532-011-0089-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11532-011-0089-4

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