A One-Step Approach to the Synthesis of High Aspect Ratio Titania Nanoflakes

Visible-Light-Driven Carbon-Doped TiO2-Based Nanocatalysts for Enhanced Activity toward Microbes and Removal of Dye

Solar-driven photocatalytic approach is an attractive, clean, and effective way for decontamination of water. In this work, visible-light-activated TiO₂ nanoflakes (TNFs) and carbon-doped TiO₂ nanoflakes (C-TNFs) were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route using different carbon sources. The as-synthesized nanostructures were successfully characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), critically disclosing the anatase nature containing titanium-oxygen having flake/platelet-like morphology with ∼32 nm in size, respectively. The photocatalytic activity was characterized via the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and bacterial inactivation of Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive). The experimental results showed that C-TNFs significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to bare TNFs. It was found that TNF nanocatalysts exhibited superior photocatalytic activity against photodegradation of MB (92.7%) and antibacterial activity (85.6%) under sunlight irradiation. In addition, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-TNFs have a good recycling ability and are expected to be a promising candidate for photocatalytic applications under sunlight. Consequentially, the higher activity of RGO-TNF nanocatalysts under sunlight irradiation for organic degradation and bacterial inactivation implies that hydrothermal synthesis allows for the preparation of efficient and low-cost carbon-doped photocatalysts for the photodegradation of a wide range of environmental pollutants.

Fabrication of TiO2@ITO-grown nanocatalyst as efficient applicant for catalytic reduction of Eosin Y from aqueous media

Innovative titania nanostructures were synthesized via efficient and prolific liquid phase deposition route and efficiently utilized for catalytic degradation of Eosin Y. The as-synthesized TiO₂@ITO nanostructures were subjected to various characterization tactics that confirmed the efficacious fabrication of nanostructures. The minute size of particles around 5-6 nm having anatase crystalline phase and concrete like morphology was greatly revealed by atomic force microscopy, XRD, and SEM, respectively. The resulting nanoconcretes were employed for photocatalytic degradation of Eosin Y dye in aqueous medium. The effects of various experimental parameters such as the reducing agent concentration, sunlight, time, catalytic dose, and microwave power were investigated for the potential photocatalytic degradation. The proposed TiO₂@ITO nanostructures showed potential photocatalytic efficiency then previously reported nanomaterial for degradation of toxic Eosin Y dye; it shows approximately 99.8% dye degraded within 50-60 s using only 100 μg of nanocatalyst under optimized conditions. Owing to minute size, topography and electron-hole pair abilities TiO₂@ITO nanostructures suggest an exceptional icon at the commercial level for successful degradation of toxic pollutants.Graphical abstract.