Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, Vol 28 No 5 (2024): 1169 - 1183

 

IMMOBILISED Ag-TiO2/ENR/PVC USING REVERSED PHOTODEPOSITION METHOD FOR PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF METHYLENE BLUE DYE

 

(Ag-TiO2/ENR/PVC yang Dipegunkan dengan Menggunakan Kaedah Foto Pendepositan Terbalik untuk Degradasi Foto Pemangkinan Pewarna Metilena Biru)

 

Nur Izzati Nabilah Zanal, Nureel Imanina Abdul Ghani, Siti Raihan Hamzah, Nur Hafikah Mustapha, Ommy Madina Abdul Halim, Nurul        Fatihah Nazua, Nurul Izzah Roslan, Zuliahani Ahmad, Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, and Wan Izhan Nawawi Wan Ismail*

 

Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: wi_nawawi@uitm.edu.my

 

 

Received: 2 April 2024; Accepted: 16 September 2024; Published:  27 October 2024

 

Abstract

In this study, a reversed photodeposition method was developed to minimise the use of noble metals (NM) as doping agents for photocatalytic enhancement, addressing the high cost associated with commercialisation. Unlike the conventional approach where NM is doped onto titanium dioxide (TiO2) before immobilisation, this method involves doping NM on the surface of immobilised TiO2. The immobilisation was achieved through a dip-coating method using a coating solution containing Degussa P-25 TiO2, epoxidised natural rubber (ENR-50) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as the polymer binder. This study focused on doping silver (Ag) on TiO­2/ENR/PVC to form ATEP plates. Doping was carried out at different concentrations (100-500 ppm) using both reversed (R) and normal (N) approaches, with photodeposition times ranging from 1 to 6 hours. The photocatalytic performance of the immobilised ATEP(R) and ATEP(N) was determined through the photodegradation of 12 mg L-1 methylene blue (MB) dye. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the etching of ENR/PVC in the reversed method exposed more TiO2 crystals. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images also proved that the polymer etching resulted in a more porous TiO2 structure in the reversed method. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed that the reversed method achieved a higher weight percentage of Ag, which enhanced the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect and improved photocatalytic performance. The optimal sample, 300-ATEP(R 5h), exhibited a higher rate constant (k = 0.0495 min-1) than the 400-ATEP(N) (k = 0.0463 min-1) sample over 60 minutes of MB dye degradation. This was due to the more porous TiO2 structure and the stronger SPR effect of Ag in the reversed sample. The Ag concentration was effectively reduced by half while achieving greater photocatalytic performance in 300-ATEP(R 5h) than in 400-ATEP(N). The photocatalytic performance of the samples produced using the reversed method surpassed that of the normal method, with the optimal sample maintaining stability over six cycles.

 

Keywords: immobilised TiO2, photocatalytic degradation, porosity, reversed photodeposition, silver

 

Abstrak

Dalam kajian ini, kaedah foto pendepositan terbalik telah dibangunkan untuk meminimumkan penggunaan logam berharga (NM) sebagai agen pengedopan untuk penambahbaikan foto pemangkinan supaya menangani kos pengkormesialan yang tinggi. Berlawanan dengan kaedah konvensional yang mengedop NM pada permukaan titanium dioksida (TiO2) yang belum dipegunkan, kaedah ini melibatkan pengedopan NM pada permukaan TiO2 yang telah dipegunkan. Pemegunan TiO2 dicapai melalui kaedah salutan celup dengan menggunakan larutan salutan yang mengandungi Degussa P-25 TiO2, getah asli yang diepoksidkan (ENR-50) dan polivinil klorida (PVC) sebagai pengikat polimer. Kajian ini memfokuskan pada pengedopan perak (Ag) pada TiO2/ENR/PVC untuk membentuk plat ATEP. Pengedopan dilakukan pada pelbagai kepekatan (100-500 ppm) dengan menggunakan kedua-dua kaedah terbalik (R) dan normal (N), dengan masa fotodeposit antara 1 hingga 6 jam. Prestasi foto pemangkinan ATEP(R) dan ATEP(N) yang dipegunkan ditentukan melalui fotodegradasi 12 mg L-1 pewarna metilena biru (MB). Analisis pembelauan sinar-X (XRD) menunjukkan bahawa punaran ENR/PVC dalam kaedah terbalik mendedahkan lebih banyak kristal TiO2. Imej mikroskop electron pengimbasan pancaran medan (FESEM) juga membuktikan bahawa punaran polimer menghasilkan struktur TiO2 yang lebih berliang dalam kaedah terbalik. Spektroskopi sinar-X pancaran tenaga (EDX) mengesahkan bahawa kaedah terbalik mencapai peratusan berat Ag yang lebih tinggi, yang meningkatkan kesan resonans plasmonik permukaan (SPR) dan prestasi foto pemangkinan. Sampel optimal, 300-ATEP(R 5h), menunjukkan kadar pemalar yang lebih tinggi (k = 0.0495 min-1) berbanding dengan sampel 400-ATEP(N) (k = 0.0463 min-1) sepanjang 60 minit degradasi pewarna MB. Ini disebabkan oleh struktur TiO2 yang lebih berliang dan kesan SPR Ag yang lebih kuat dalam sampel terbalik. Kepekatan Ag dapat dikurangkan dengan berkesan sebanyak separuh sementara mencapai prestasi foto pemangkinan yang lebih besar dalam 300-ATEP(R 5h) berbanding dengan 400-ATEP(N). Prestasi foto pemangkinan sampel yang dihasilkan dengan menggunakan kaedah terbalik melepasi sampel yang dihasilkan dengan menggunakan kaedah normal, dengan sampel optimum mengekalkan kestabilan selama enam kitaran.

 

Kata kunci: TiO2 dipegunkan, degradasi foto pemangkinan, porositi, foto deposit terbalik, perak

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