Abstract
P-acetaminophen modified TiO2 was successfully prepared via a sol–gel method from refluxed sol at low temperature of 80°C. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, FTIR, and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. Congo red was used as a model contaminant to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the surface modified TiO2 photocatalyst irradiated by solar light. It was found that the modified TiO2 exhibited much better activity than pure TiO2. The visible photocatalytic activity was correlated with the surface organic complex formation that was supported by the UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra.