Al/TiO composite as a photocatalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants.

TiO is a catalyst that can effectively degrade organic pollutants with the following advantages, low cost, simplicity, and pollution-free nature. In recent years, the non-noble plasmonic metal Al has effectively improved the photocatalytic performance of TiO. However, the current reports are limited to the photocatalytic performance of Al/TiO on the substrate, which requires expensive large-scale vacuum equipment. In this study, monodispersed Al particles were proposed to enhance the photocatalysis of TiO. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Al is proven by finite difference time domain method (FDTF) simulation. Then, Al/TiO composites were prepared by combining monodispersed Al and TiO. The influence of ligand (glutathione (GSH), glutamic acid (GAG), or 3-mercaptopropane acid (MPA)), Al size (40 to 300 nm), and the ratio of Al to TiO (0.5:1 to 10:1) on the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) by Al/TiO were discussed. The obtained results showed that the Al/TiO composite which were prepared with 200 nm Al particles, GSH as the ligand bridge, and an Al:TiO ratio of 1:1 had the best MB degradation effect. It can degrade 97.7% of 10 mg/L MB in 100 min. The reaction rate of the Al/TiO composite with the optimal photocatalytic performance is k=3.36×10 min, which is 10 times that of P25 TiO. In addition, Al/TiO has a good photocatalytic effect on rhodamine B (RhB) and crystal violet (CV). Therefore, Al/TiO composites with the advantage of high efficiency are a type of potential photocatalytic material that can be used for the photocatalytic treatment of organic pollutants in water.