The roles of M-TiO₂ (M = Co²⁺ & F^–) nanoparticles loaded on RGO in the denitrogenation performance of photocatalytic

Abstract

Co²⁺ and F^– are doped into lattice of TiO₂ powders, and the effects on charge trapping, recombination, and interface transfer are systematically researched. Double doped TiO₂ photocatalyst was introduced on Graphene oxide, to construct heterojunction for photocatalytic denitrification of fuel containing pyridine (PY), indole (IND), and quinoline (QUI). A significant improvement in the photocatalytic activity was detected with the double doped modified heterojunction photocatalyst as compared to the pure TiO₂. The reason for the improvement of the photocatalytic denitrification performance of oil may be derived from that the doped metal ions and nonmetal ions capture charge carriers to provide an alternative pathway for interface charge transfer, decreased the band gap width and the energy required for the transition, and caused the red shift in the light response range. On the other hand, catalyst supported on RGO, not only accelerated the transfer of photogenic carriers, improved the life of catalytic active component, but also enhanced the dispersibility of catalyst in oil. The experimental results showed that the activity and reusability of the photocatalyst denitrification performance was found satisfactory. On this basis, it is indicated that Co²⁺/F^–/TiO₂-RGO can be prospective materials for catalytic denitrification of oil.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Anatase phase TiO₂
• ions doping
• heterojunction
• electronic traps
• photocatalytic denitrification

Funding

We are grateful for the financial support of the Doctoral Research Foundation of Daqing Normal University (No.18ZR04), Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province (LH2020B015) and NSF of Heilongjiang Province (QC2017004).