Comparison of DNA Damage Photoinduced by Ketoprofen, Fenofibric Acid and Benzophenone via Electron and Energy Transfer¶

Investigation of the Effect of Oxide Additives on the Band Gap and Photocatalytic Efficiency of TiO2 as a Fixed Film

The effects of various additives (Y2O3, Ga2O3, and WO3) on photocatalytic degradation efficiency under UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the optical properties of TiO2 Degussa P25 were investigated using ketoprofen and diclofenac, two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs commonly detected in German rivers. Experimental results demonstrated that thin films containing these additives exhibited similar photocatalytic degradation efficiencies as pure TiO2, achieving a 30% degradation of ketoprofen over 150 min. In contrast, the Y2O3/TiO2 thin film showed significantly improved performance, achieving a 46% degradation of ketoprofen in 180 min. Notably, the Y2O3/TiO2 system was three times more effective in degrading diclofenac compared to pure TiO2. Additionally, the Y2O3/TiO2 photocatalyst retained its activity over three successive cycles with only a slight decrease in efficiency. The photocatalytic degradation of both organic pollutants followed first-order kinetics with all photocatalysts. The investigation included SEM imaging to assess the surface homogeneity of the thin films and UV-vis solid-state spectroscopy to evaluate the impact of the additives on the energy band gap of TiO2.