Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol with V2O5-TiO2 catalysts: Effect of catalyst support and surfactant additives

Binary oxide catalysts with various weight percentage V2O5 loadings were prepared by solid-state dispersion and the nanocomposites were modified with surfactants. The catalysts were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and N-2 adsorption-desorption. The photocatalytic activities of the catalysts were evaluated in the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol under ultraviolet irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of 50 wt% V2O5-TiO2 (50V(2)O(5)-TiO2) was higher than those of pure V2O5, TiO2, and P25. Interactions between V2O5 and TiO2 affected the photocatalytic efficiencies of the binary oxide catalysts. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) significantly enhanced the efficiency of the 50V(2)O(5)-TiO2 catalyst. The highest percentage of 2,4-dichlorophenol degradation (100%) and highest reaction rate (2.22 mg/(L.min)) were obtained in 30 min with the (50V(2)O(5)-TiO2)-CTAB catalyst. It is concluded that the addition of a surfactant to the binary oxide significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity by modifying the optical and electronic properties of V2O5 and TiO2. (C) 2016, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.