Synthesis and Characterization of Fe-fullerene/TiO2 Photocatalysts Designed for Degradation of Methylene Blue

Fe-fullerene/TiO2 composite photocatalysts were prepared with titanium (IV) n-butoxide (TNB) by a sol-gel method. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), specific surface area (BET), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution. XRD patterns of the composites showed that the Fe-fullerene/TiO2 composite contained a typical single and clear anatase phase. The surface properties shown by SEM present a characterization of the texture on Fe-fullerene/TiO2 composites and showed a homogenous composition in the particles for the titanium sources used. The EDX spectra for the elemental identification showed the presence of C and Ti with strong Fe peaks for the Fe-fullerene/TiO2 composite. From the photocatalytic results, the excellent activity of the Fe-fullerene/TiO2 composites for degradation of methylene blue under UV light irradiation could be attributed to both the effects between photocatalytic reaction of the supported TiO2, decomposition of the organometallic reaction by the Fe compound and energy transfer effects such as electron and light of the fullerene.