Assessing the photocatalytic activity of europium doped TiO2 using liquid phase plasma process on acetylsalicylic acid

In this study, europium (Eu) was precipitated in TiO2 powder using liquid phase plasma (LPP) process to prepare a photocatalyst with higher activity, even in the visible light range. Eu was uniformly deposited on the surface of TiO2 by the LPP method. It was observed that the amount of Eu precipitated on the TiO2 surface increased with increasing precursor concentration. XPS and EDS analysis showed that Eu was precipitated as europium oxide. The precipitation of Eu shifted the position of the Raman peak to a higher wavelength; with higher Eu content, the band gap energy decreased. Particularly, the photocatalytic efficiency of the Eu doped TiO2 photocatalyst (EDTP) in the visible light source was much higher than that of bare TiO2, and with higher Eu content, the photocatalytic activity was improved. Acetylsalicylic acid was attacked by HO center dot produced on the EDTP's surface and assumed to be finally mineralized to H2O and CO2 via two decomposition pathways, namely, decarboxylation and deacetylation.

Automated summary

In this study, europium was successfully precipitated in TiO2 powder using liquid phase plasma technology, resulting in a photocatalyst with higher activity. The precipitation of europium increased the europium content on the TiO2 surface, leading to improved photocatalytic activity as the europium content increased. The photocatalytic efficiency of the europium-doped TiO2 photocatalyst in the visible light source was significantly higher than that of bare TiO2.