Author(s)

Yuan Yao, Cheng Chen, and Xianjun Bi

Corresponding Author

Xianjun Bi

Abstract

The Zn and rare earth Eu co-doped TiO2 photocatalyst TiO2-Zn-Eu were prepared by microwave hydrothermal synthesis. The optimal preparation conditions for TiO2-Zn-Eu were as follows: n(Zn2+):n(Ti4+)=0.06%, n(Eu3+):n(Ti4+)=0.12%, microwave hydrothermal synthesis power 600 W, the microwave heating time 2.5 h, the microwave heating temperature 150 ℃, the calcination temperature 575 ℃ and the calcination time 3h. The TiO2-Zn-Eu prepared under the optimal conditions was used for photocatalytic degradation. The degradation rate of methyl orange could reach 98.6% by self-made UV lamp for 30 min. The methyl orange was almost completely degraded with visible light irradiation for 3.5 h, which indicated that the TiO2-Zn-Eu prepared by microwave method had higher photocatalytic activity.

Keywords

Microwave hydrothermal method; Zn-Eu co-doped; TiO2 photocatalyst; UV irradiation; Photocatalytic activity