Author(s)

Xin Wang, Cheng Chen and Xianjun Bi

Corresponding Author

Xianjun Bi

Abstract

The Ytterbium and Copper co-doped TiO2 catalyst TiO2-Yb-Cu was prepared by microwave hydrothermal method, and the photocatalytic degradation activity of the catalyst was investigated. The optimum preparation conditions of the catalyst were obtained by optimizing the experimental conditions. The amount of ytterbium and copper doped was n(Yb3+)/n(Ti4+) =0.16% and n(Cu2+)/n(Ti4+) =0.04%, the reaction temperature of microwave synthesis parallel synthesis apparatus 120℃, the reaction time 3 h, the microwave power 650 W, the calcination temperature of high temperature box type resistance furnace 600℃and the calcination time 5.5 h. The results of the TiO2-Yb-Cu catalyst tested by SEM, BET, IR, XRD and Raman showed that it had the advantages of small size, high crystallinity and stable chemical properties when the catalyst was prepared by microwave hydrothermal method. The test results of photocatalytic degradation showed that the catalytic activity of copper and ytterbium co-doped preparing TiO2-Yb-Cu catalyst had higher photocatalytic activity than single doped ytterbium or copper preparing TiO2-Yb or TiO2-Cu catalyst. The methyl orange almost could completely be degraded with the TiO2-Yb-Cu catalyst used for photocatalytic degradation of the methyl orange solution under the UV irradiation at 50 min.

Keywords

Microwave hydrothermal method, Ytterbium doping, Copper doping, TiO2-Yb-Cu catalyst, Photocatalytic degradation