Synthesis of TiO2 and Ag/Cu doped TiO2 nanoparticles in green approach and assess their structural, morphological, and photocatalytic applications

Abstract

For environmental protection, developing efficient materials and techniques for pollutant elimination is vital. In the present study, the economically cheap, sustainable, green TiO₂ and Ag/Cu doped TiO₂ nanoparticles synthesized were using mulberry plant leaf extract. The Morphological characterization of TiO₂ nanoparticles, including undoped and Ag/Cu doped TiO₂ nanocatalyst was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Their functional group characterization will have done by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and band gap study done by UV–visible spectroscopy. Photocatalytic performance was assessed by monitoring the degradation of methylene blue sample solution under sunlight radiation. Investigations were conducted into the effects of different experimental factors on photocatalytic degradation such as variable pH, dye concentration, contact time, and catalyst dosage. The kinetics study shows that first order reaction. While comparing 1 %, 2 %, and 3 % Ag/Cu doped TiO₂ nanocatalyst and undoped TiO₂ nanocatalyst, it was shown that the latter exhibited the maximum degradation under sunlight radiation while using methylene blue as an organic pollutant. The greenly synthesized 3 % Ag doped TiO₂ nanocatalyst shows the maximum photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue reached a remarkable efficiency of 98.55 % after 90 min of exposure to sunlight radiation according to photocatalytic degradation because of a low band gap compared to Cu doped TiO₂ and undoped TiO₂, according to photocatalytic degradation analysis. The degradation percentages are 3 % Ag-doped TiO₂ - 98.55, 2 % Ag-doped TiO₂ - 95.78 %, 1 % Ag-doped TiO₂ - 93.33 %, 3 % Cu-doped TiO₂ - 93.54 %,2 % Cu-doped TiO_2-87.33 %, 1 % Cu-doped TiO₂ - 79.00 % and undoped TiO₂ - 77.75 % respectively. The reusability of the catalyst also studied up to 4 cycles. TiO₂ and Ag/Cu doped TiO₂ nanocatalysts demonstrate effective activity, which is beneficial for water purification and environmentally friendly applications.