TiO2 photocatalysis has attracted great attention as a promising method of water and air cleaning as well as photocatalytic killing of a wide spectrum of pathogenic microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi and algae. The main drawbacks of low quantum yields and lack of visible-light utilization hinder the practical applications of TiO2. Hence, intense research has been done to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency and visible-light utilization of TiO2. Here nanocomposites containing TiO2 were synthesized using a hydrothermal route followed by a calcination process. These functional products were characterized in details in terms of their structure and morphology using XRD, SEM, EDX, and TEM among others. Moreover, their high photocatalytic properties for destruction of toxic dye molecules and bacteria were studied carefully. We also will present our studies on establishing the basic photodegradation and photokilling mechanisms, identifying the effective disinfection factors, and investigating the disinfection kinetics for practical purposes.

Nanocomposite photocatalysts containing metal oxides for destruction of dyes and bacteria

245th National Meeting (2013)

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