Physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of TiO2-bentonite composite used as photocatalysts for methylene orange degradation

IF 5.45 Q1 Physics and Astronomy

Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects Pub Date : 2025-08-23 DOI:10.1016/j.nanoso.2025.101535

Ikram Daou , Afaf Aadnan , Omar Zegaoui , Abdelillah Shaim , Abdelghani Hsini , Hamou Moussout

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Abstract

This study presents the preparation, characterization and application of TiO₂-bentonite (Ti-BNP), with the aim of promoting natural bentonite, designed for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV light (365 nm). The natural bentonite has been purified (BNP) and doped with various TiO₂ mass ratios. The structural, mineralogical and morphological composition of *x*%Ti-BNP (*x* = mass % of TiO₂ in bentonite) have been investigated using various techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM-EDS). The obtained results revealed that *x*%Ti-BNP undergo structural modifications, with spectral intensity scaling proportionally to TiO₂ content. While pure TiO₂ demonstrated superior activity, the composites’ photocatalytic performance improved with higher TiO₂ loading. Degradation kinetics adhered to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model, underscoring the critical role of surface adsorption. Optimal conditions were identified as acidic pH (enhancing interactions with anionic MO) and a catalyst mass of 25 mg (beyond which turbidity reduced efficiency). These findings suggest the promise of clay-TiO₂ hybrids for pollution mitigation, though further optimization of TiO₂ dispersion and surface properties is required to rival pure TiO₂.

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二氧化钛-膨润土复合材料降解亚甲基橙光催化剂的物理化学和光催化性能

本文研究了二氧化钛膨润土（Ti-BNP）的制备、表征和应用，旨在促进天然膨润土在紫外光（365 nm）下降解甲基橙（MO）的性能。对天然膨润土进行了纯化（BNP）并掺杂不同质量比的TiO2。利用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、x射线衍射（XRD）、布鲁诺尔-埃米特-泰勒（BET）表面积分析、紫外-可见漫反射光谱（DRS）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和透射电子显微镜（TEM-EDS）等多种技术研究了膨润土中*x*%Ti-BNP （*x* =质量%）的结构、矿物学和形态组成。结果表明，*x*%的Ti-BNP发生了结构修饰，光谱强度与TiO2含量成正比。纯TiO2表现出优异的光催化活性，TiO2负载越高，复合材料的光催化性能越好。降解动力学遵循Langmuir-Hinshelwood模型，强调了表面吸附的关键作用。最佳条件确定为酸性pH值（增强与阴离子MO的相互作用）和催化剂质量为25 mg（超过浊度会降低效率）。这些发现表明，粘土-TiO2杂化物有望缓解污染，尽管需要进一步优化TiO2的分散性和表面性质，以与纯TiO2竞争。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects Physics and Astronomy-Condensed Matter Physics

CiteScore

9.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

22 days

期刊介绍： Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects is a new journal devoted to all aspects of the synthesis and the properties of this new flourishing domain. The journal is devoted to novel architectures at the nano-level with an emphasis on new synthesis and characterization methods. The journal is focused on the objects rather than on their applications. However, the research for new applications of original nano-structures & nano-objects in various fields such as nano-electronics, energy conversion, catalysis, drug delivery and nano-medicine is also welcome. The scope of Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects involves: -Metal and alloy nanoparticles with complex nanostructures such as shape control, core-shell and dumbells -Oxide nanoparticles and nanostructures, with complex oxide/metal, oxide/surface and oxide /organic interfaces -Inorganic semi-conducting nanoparticles (quantum dots) with an emphasis on new phases, structures, shapes and complexity -Nanostructures involving molecular inorganic species such as nanoparticles of coordination compounds, molecular magnets, spin transition nanoparticles etc. or organic nano-objects, in particular for molecular electronics -Nanostructured materials such as nano-MOFs and nano-zeolites -Hetero-junctions between molecules and nano-objects, between different nano-objects & nanostructures or between nano-objects & nanostructures and surfaces -Methods of characterization specific of the nano size or adapted for the nano size such as X-ray and neutron scattering, light scattering, NMR, Raman, Plasmonics, near field microscopies, various TEM and SEM techniques, magnetic studies, etc .