Fabrication and Evaluation of Visible Light Active TiO₂ Photocatalyst by Molten Salt Method

Abstract

  Molten salt method with nitrate was proposed and carried out to fabricate TiO₂ photocatalyst with visible light activity. The alumina balls with Ti films formed by mechanical coating technique were used for the source samples. The microstructures and composition of the compounds were characterized by SEM, XRD and EDS. The absorption characteristic was evaluated by methylene blue solution concentration. The photocatalytic activity under visible light or UV light was evaluated by the degradation constant k. Molten salt method with KNO₃ nitrate is a simple and effective way to fabricate visible light active TiO₂ photocatalyst. The fabricated TiO₂ photocatalyst showed high absorption property and photocatalytic activity under visible light. The high performance of the fabricated TiO₂ photocatalyst is due to the reaction of K element in the molten KNO₃.