Use of azomethine-bridged phenolic metallophthalocyanines for sensitization of TiO2

A group of novel azomethine-bridged phenolic metallophtalocyanines (substituted at -nonperipheral position, MPc) were synthesized, characterized and used as sensitizer. Phthalocyanine derivatives (containing TiO(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) ions in the center of phtalocyanine) were immobilized on TiO2 photocatalyst using a wet deposition method. MPc/TiO2 nanocomposites have been tested for their photocatalytic reduction ability of Cr(VI) ions in aqueous solution under near visible light irradiation. The results demonstrated that the presence of the sensitizer is certainly beneficial for the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, confirming the significant role of substitution and metal-co-ordination in the center of the phthalocyanine ring. Photoreduction results show that the all composite materials exposed significantly higher Cr(VI) removal performance than bare TiO2-Consequently, MPc sensitized TiO2 nanocomposites may be good alternatives for efficient photocatalysis that can be used for wastewater treatment processes.