Synthesis and Characterization of TiO2 Nanotubes (TiO2-NTs) Decorated with Platine Nanoparticles (Pt-NPs): Photocatalytic Performance for Simultaneous Removal of Microorganisms and Volatile Organic Compounds

Lotfi Khezami; Imen Lounissi; Anouar Hajjaji; Ahlem Guesmi; Aymen Amine Assadi; Brahim Bessais

doi:10.3390/ma14237341

Synthesis and Characterization of TiO₂ Nanotubes (TiO₂-NTs) Decorated with Platine Nanoparticles (Pt-NPs): Photocatalytic Performance for Simultaneous Removal of Microorganisms and Volatile Organic Compounds

Materials (Basel). 2021 Nov 30;14(23):7341. doi: 10.3390/ma14237341.

Authors

Lotfi Khezami¹, Imen Lounissi², Anouar Hajjaji², Ahlem Guesmi¹, Aymen Amine Assadi³, Brahim Bessais²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), P.O. Box 5701, Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia.
² Laboratoire de Photovoltaïque, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l'Energie, Technopole de Borj-Cédria, BP 95, Hammam-Lif 2050, Tunisia.
³ École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, Univ Rennes, CNRS, ISCR (Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes) - UMR 6226, F-35000 Rennes, France.

Abstract

This work reports on the effect of TiO₂ nanotubes (TiO₂-NTs), decorated wih platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs), on the removal of bacteria and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Pt-NPs were loaded onto the TiO₂-NTs using the electrodeposition method at four decoration times (100, 200, 300, and 600 s). The realized Pt-NPs/TiO₂-NTs nanocomposites were used for the degradation of cyclohexane, a highly toxic and carcinogenic VOC pollutant in the chemical industry. The achieved Pt-NPs/TiO₂-NTs nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. To understand the photocatalytic and antibacterial behavior of the Pt-NPs/TiO₂-NTs, simultaneous treatment of Escherichia coli and cyclohexane was conducted while varying the catalyst time decoration. We noticed a complete bacterial inactivation rate with 90% VOC removal within 60 min of visible light irradiation. Moreover, the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model correlated well with the experimental results of the photocatalytic treatment of indoor air.

Keywords: Pt-NPs/TiO2 nanotubes; batch reactor; indoor air treatment; kinetic modeling; microorganism inactivation.