Degradation of Phthalocyanine by a Core-Shell TiO2 Photocatalyst: Effect of Iron Dopping on Band Gap

In this research, initially, the sol-gel method was employed to produce γ-alumina and TiO2 catalysts with core-shell structure. Iron (III) was used as a dopant. The newlyproduced core-shells were Fe/TiO2// Fe/ γ-Al2O3 (FTFA). Sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine was used as a dye pollutant in Merox process. By doping Fe in TiO2 catalyst, the efficiency of photocatalytic activity in photodegradation of sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine was increased. Photocatalytic activity of Fe/TiO2// Fe/ γ-Al2O3 in UV irradiation was investigated and complete degradation of sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine was confirmed via UV-Vis spectrophotometry and Total Organic Carbon analysis. Structure, morphology, and specification of new core-shell composites of FTFA were studied using several spectroscopic techniques. The efficiency of the FTFA catalyst is very good in alkaline media and close to the TiO2 catalyst performance in acidic media. The complete destruction process was investigated with TOC and the synthesized catalyst degraded 5 ppm of solution polluted by SCP in a maximum of 30 min.