EFFECTIVE SOLOCHROME DYE DEGRADATION USING SYNTHESIZED COPPER DOPED TITANIUM DIOXIDE NANOPARTICLES

Abstract

A simple hydrothermal route was used for the synthesis of pristine and Cu-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) using EDTA
(di-sodium salt dehydrate) as the capping and reducing agent. In order to study the optical, functional, surface
morphology, structure and elemental analysis of synthesized nanoparticles were subjected to UV-Vis spectrophotometer,
FESEM, XRD and EDS. From these results UV-Vis characterization reveals that synthesized particles are having
absorption maxima is around 341 and 250.23 nm and using Tauc’s plot the estimated Eg values were found to be 3.07eV
and 2.84 eV respectively. FESEM of particles reveal that they are having the spherical cluster with average size of about
10 nm to 20 nm. EDS spectrum confirms the presence of elements Ti and O. From the XRD pattern it confirms that
they are having anatase phase, tetragonal and cubic crystal structure for TiO2 and Cu-TiO2 respectively . Further, the
photocatalytic degradation of solochrome dye was performed under UV irradiation using these synthesized nanoparticles.
Interestingly, it was observed that the relative absorption intensity continuously decreased as the UV illumination
exposure time increased, significantly indicating that solochrome dye degraded effectively on the surface of bare and Cu
doped TiO2 photocatalyst.