Study of synergistic effect of cobalt and carbon codoped with TiO2 photocatalyst for visible light induced degradation of phenol

In this work, we reported synthesis of cobalt and carbon codoped TiO₂ (Co-C-TiO₂) nanoparticles were prepared using co-precipitation technique. The synthesized catalysts are analyzed by various methods. The powder XRD pattern confirmed that all the samples were polycrystalline of anatase phase and particle size of resultant nanoparticle was reduced correlated with bare TiO₂ sample. FTIR measurements exhibit the identification of functional groups present at the surface of TiO₂. FESEM micrograph showed that the shape of codoped TiO₂ nanoparticles are approximately sphere. The attained energy gap of Co doped and C codoping of TiO₂ modifies to a level below the energy gap of TiO₂ anatase specifying a high capability to absorb visible light. The recombination rate of photo-induced electrons and holes for Co-C codoped TiO₂ nanoparticles is significantly reduced. The synthesized samples are assessed in degradation of phenol by the illumination of visible light. The results confirmed that photocatalytic activity enhanced due to doping and codoping of Co and C. As a result, Co-C codoped TiO₂ nanoparticles exhibited a higher visible-light photocatalytic activity in compared with Co-TiO₂ and bare TiO₂ with the maximum degradation efficiency of 98, 75 and 15%, respectively. And also, the reusability of the catalyst was proved when 95% degradation could be achieved after consecutive batches. It is predictable that this work will provide new insights to increase the visible light active photocatalysts for environmental problems.