Rapid microwave growth of mesoporous TiO2 nano-tripods for efficient photocatalysis and adsorption

A rapid microwave (180 s, 100 W) green approach has been demonstrated for the synthesis of TiO2 tripods (TITPs) using Mangifera indica leaf extracts. In this process, mangiferin acts as an efficient reducing agent while microwave radiations control the nucleation and growth of anisotropic TiO2 nanostructure. Surface morphological analyses reveal that synthesized TiO2 nanomaterial has a unique resilient shape of tripods with porosity. The photocatalytic ability of synthesized TITPs has been examined using Methylene blue (MB) as the target contaminant, and similar to 75% (under visible light in 75 min) and 96% (under UV in 9 min) dye degradation has been achieved. The TITPs show recyclability for up to three cycles. Moreover, TITPs exhibit good adsorbent property that varies with the change of temperature and pH. The adsorption of the MB by TITPs follows the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of TITPs is found to be 17.54 mg/g based on the Langmuir model. The present multi-facet TITPs prepared via a simple and quick (180 s) microwave method has the potential for application in photocatalytic/adsorption for aqueous contaminant remediation.