No abstract

Iron-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (Fe-TiO2) were synthesized and photocatalitically investigated under high and low fluence values of UV radiation. The Fe-TiO2 physical characterization was performed using X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS evidenced that the ferric ion (Fe3+) was in the TiO2 lattice and unintentionally added co-dopants were also present because of the precursors of the synthetic method. The Fe3+ concentration played a key role in the photocatalytic generation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and estriol (E3) degradation. Fe-TiO2 accomplished E3 degradation, and it was found that the catalyst with 0.3 at.% content of Fe (0.3 Fe-TiO2) enhanced the photocatalytic activity under low UV irradiation compared with TiO2 without intentionally added Fe (zero-iron TiO2) and Aeroxide® TiO2 P25. Furthermore, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of 0.3 Fe-TiO2 under low UV irradiation may have applications when radiation intensity must be controlled, as in medical applications, or when strong UV absorbing species are present in water.

No abstract

No abstract