Effect of the Synthesis Parameters on the Physicochemical Properties and Photocatalytic Performance of Nb2O5 to Water Treatment and H2 Production

Nb2O5 is a promising photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutants and production of H2 (renewable and green fuel) from water is an alternative to overcome environmental and energy concerns. Therefore, the effect of Nb precursor and synthesis method on the Nb2O5 physical-chemical properties and photocatalytic performance were investigated in this work. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy results showed that synthesis parameters had a significant impact on the structural properties of the materials obtained. The synthesis parameters were able to tune Nb2O5 crystalline phase, morphology and specific surface area. Nb2O5 sample obtained by hydrothermal method resulted in materials with smaller size and homogeneous particles compared to the other samples, which resulted in a higher specific surface area (200 m2 g-1) and surface hydroxylation. Nb2O5 samples were active to promote both the degradation of Rhodamine B and amiloride, the specific surface area and surface hydroxylation play a key role in the performance of the materials. The most active sample for organic pollutant degradation was also active in H2 production, additionally, the decoration with Pt nanoparticles increased its performance. This work describes the effect of synthesis parameters of Nb2O5 on its photocatalytic properties and demonstrates the potential application of this material in heterogeneous photocatalysis.