Synthesis of visible light driven cobalt tailored Ag2O/TiON nanophotocatalyst by reverse micelle processing for degradation of Eriochrome Black T

An ultra efficient cobalt tailored silver and nitrogen co-doped titania (TiON/Ag2O/Co) visible nanophotocatalyst is successfully synthesized using modified reverse micelle processing. Composition, phase, distribution of dopants, functional group analysis, optical properties and morphology of synthesized materials are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) based techniques and others. Charge states of titanium (Ti) and silver are explored through core-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis and X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Our characterization results showed that the synthesized nanophotocatalyst consisted of anatase phased qausispherical nanoparticles that exhibited homogeneous distribution of dopants, large surface area, high quantum efficiency and enhanced optical properties. At lower content of doped Co ions, the TiON/Ag2O responded with extraordinary photocatalytic properties. The cobalt tailored nanophotocatalyst showed remarkable activity against Eriochrome Black T (EBT). Moreover, comparative degradation behavior of EBT with TiON, Ag2O/TiON and Co/Ag2O/TiON is also investigated. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.