Effect of incorporating vanadium oxide to TiO2, Zeolite-ZM5, SBA and P25 supports on the photocatalytic activity under visible light

Abstract SBA, zeolite-ZM5, TiO 2 and P25, used as dispersant agents of vanadium oxide, were synthesized. The supports (SBA, Zeolite-ZM5, TiO 2 and P25) were loaded with 3 wt.% of V 2 O 5 . V 2 O 5 /ZM5, V 2 O 5 /P25 and V 2 O 5 /TiO 2 showed high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Eosin Y employing a visible light source (450 nm). The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, XPS, UV-vis, S BET , SEM, TEM, and FTIR (surface acidity). Under visible light, the photocatalytic degradation rate displayed the following order V 2 O 5 /TiO 2 (93%) > V 2 O 5 /P25 (81%) > V 2 O 5 /ZM5 (70%) > V 2 O 5 /SBA (55%). This behavior is in conjunction attributable to the oxidation state of the vanadium species V 4+ and the presence of Bronsted acid sites. The structure and properties of the TiO 2 play an important role during the photodegradation of the Eosin Y. Results here obtained give new insights for the water treatment processes using visible light over vanadium photocatalysts.