On the photocatalytic properties of nano-TiO2 with dual-phase structure for aqueous methyl-red dye degradation

Heterogeneous photocatalytic removal of methyl-red (MR) dye from liquid phase was done using mixed-phase nanocrystalline TiO2 for enhancement its photochemical decomposition capabilities. The mixed-phase nanocrystalline TiO2 was characterized using various techniques to investigate its physicochemical properties. The photocatalytic efficiency of mixed-phase nanocrystalline titania was explored by monitoring the photochemical decay of aqueous MR dye. The results showed that the as-prepared mixed-phase nanocrystalline TiO2 was excellent for degradation of MR molecule, and the impurity of rutile form increases the photochemical activity by a by a factor of 3. The reaction mechanism was proposed and the results demonstrate that the photocatalytic oxidation reaction followed a pseudo-first-order kinetics.