Visible Light-Driven Degradation of Trichloroethylene in Aqueous Phase with Vanadium-Doped TiO2 Photocatalysts

The development of photocatalyzed water remediation strategies using visible (solar) light to mineralize volatile chlorinated organic compounds (VCOCs) is a long standing, not yet fully achieved goal. Herewith, a facile route is presented to synthesize vanadium-doped TiO2 photocatalysts using a one-step hydrothermal method. Different characterization methods are employed to investigate the physicochemical properties of as-prepared V-doped TiO2 samples, indicating the mixed phases of anatase, rutile, and brookite in the crystal structure addition to the mesoporous framework. The nature of the vanadium species at the TiO2 surface is assessed by X-ray photoelectron and emission spectroscopy. The aerobic photodegradation of a common VCOC, trichloroethylene, using V-doped catalysts is demonstrated to be much more effectively than with undoped TiO2. Importantly, the herein described V-doped photocatalysts show high activity both under ultraviolett and visible light irradiation. Moreover, these V-doped TiO2 photocatalysts are robust under the reaction conditions, being recyclable for at least four consecutive runs without any activity loss.