Preparation and Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity of FeTPP-Cr-TiO₂ Microspheres

Tetraphenyl-porphyrin iron (FeTPP) was chosen to sensitize Cr doped TiO₂ (Cr-TiO₂) nanoparticles, a novel multimodified photocatalyst FeTPP-Cr-TiO₂ with excellent visiblelight photocatalytic activity was successfully synthesized. The FeTPP-Cr-TiO₂ microspheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms. The photocatalytic activity of FeTPP-Cr-TiO₂ was evaluated by degradations of methylene blue in aqueous solution under irradiation with Xe lamp (150 W). The results showed that the FeTPP-Cr-TiO₂ multimodified photocatalyst was anatase phase with high specific surface area (74.7 m²/g), and exhibited higher photocatalytic degradation efficiency than Cr-TiO₂ and FeTPP-TiO₂. The photocatalytic degradations of three quinolone antibiotics (lomefloxacin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin) were further estimated for the feasibility of practical application of catalyst in wastewater treatment. It is desirable that photodegradation of antibiotics with FeTPP-Cr-TiO₂ achieved pretty high degradation rates and all followed the pseudo first-order reaction model, and the rate constants k of 3.02×10^-2, 2.81×10^-2, and 3.86×10^-2 min^-1 and the half-lifes t_1/2 of 22.9, 24.6, and 17.9 min were achieved respectively.