In this paper, several TiO2 materials doped with zirconia precursor (0.7, 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0 mol%) were synthesized by an easy aqueous sol-gel synthesis at ambient temperature. This method consisted in the peptization of the TiO2 colloid in presence of HNO3. The corresponding pure TiO2 material was also synthesized for comparison. The performances and the physicochemical properties of these materials were compared to the well-known Evonik P25 photocatalyst.The physico-chemical characterizations showed that nano-crystalline anatase-brookite particles were produced with the sol-gel process, with higher specific surface area than P25 (~ 200 m 2 g -1 vs. 47 m 2 g -1 ). All samples presented a higher visible absorption than P25. The XPS spectra showed that all the samples were doped with nitrogen and that mixed TiO2-ZrO2 oxide materials were obtained when doping with zirconia precursor.Photoactivity was evaluated through the degradation of p-nitrophenol in water. On the one hand, under UV/visible light, the ZrO2 doping increased the degradation efficiency of the pure TiO2 catalyst due to a better charge separation in the mixed TiO2-ZrO2 oxides. The activity of the sample with the highest dopant content was even higher than the one of P25. On the other hand, under visible light, all samples were much more efficient than P25. This activity shift towards visible range was due to the N-doping of the catalysts, with a slight improvement for the doped ones.Finally, the feasibility of producing films starting from an aqueous suspension of the photocatalyst was assessed on P25, pure TiO2 and the best doped material. The photoactivity of these films, evaluated on the degradation of methylene blue under UV-A light, showed that the sample with the highest dopant concentration had an efficiency 4 times higher than pure TiO2 and 20 times higher than P25.

During the past few years, bioceramics, like hydroxyapatite and β-tricalcium phosphate have been widely developed for bone reconstruction. These materials have to meet strict criteria regarding biocompatibility, degradability, and mechanical properties. This work has been focusing on the influence of synthesis parameters on the production of calcium phosphate mixes, called biphasic calcium phosphate. In this optic, powders obtained from two synthesis processes (i. e. wet precipitation and sol-gel process) were produced. The influence of pH, Ca/P molar mixing ratio, and calcination temperature was studied. These new materials were characterized in terms of composition, thermal properties, and textural properties via X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. Wet precipitation technique produces in situ mixes with different hydroxyapatite contents while the sol-gel process ends up with ceramics contaminated by cytotoxic CaO. Wet precipitation has been demonstrated more successful to control in situ mixes with specific composition.

In this study, pure ZnCo2O4 and SnO2/ZnCo2O4 mix photocatalysts have been synthesized by the sol-gel process with three different SnO2 loading percentages (10, 20, and 30 wt %). Their photocatalytic activities were assessed on the degradation of organic pollutants in water under visible illumination. The structural, morphological, and optical properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV–Visible diffuse reflectance measurements. The results have shown that the materials are composed of a crystalline ZnCo2O4 matrix with a decrease in crystallite size with the amount of SnO2. Weakly crystalline SnO2 is also observed for loaded samples. The specific surface area is modified with the loading ratio. The evaluation of the photoactivity of the samples under visible light for the degradation of p-nitrophenol has highlighted that all materials are highly photoactive under visible light thanks to heterojunction between the two oxides. An application test has been conducted on a dye, congo red, showing the same tendencies. An optimal amount of SnO2 loading is observed for the sample containing 20 wt % of SnO2. A comparison with commercial Evonik P25 showed that the materials developed in this work have five to six times better efficiency under visible light, leading to a promising photocatalyst material.

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