Effect of CMC and HPC mixture on the photocatalytic activity of Nd-TiO_2/SiO_2 film under visible light irradiation

Neodymium-titania/silica films were prepared by the sol-gel method with the addition of various amounts of hydroxy propyl cellulose (HPC) and 5.09 × 10^(-5) g g_solution^(-1) of carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) in saturated conditions. The porous Nd-TiO_2 /SiO_2 was obtained after heat treatment for 2 h at 500 Centigrade, with the surface area up to 276 m^2 g^(−1) , which was measured using the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the particle size of Nd-TiO_2 /SiO_2 decreased and the microstructure of the film became loose in suitable conditions with the addition of CMC to HPC. Subsequently, the photocatalytic activity of Nd- TiO_2 /SiO_2 film under visible light irradiation was achieved to an optimum when the concentrations became 3.825 × 10^(−3) and 5.09 × 10(−5)g g_sol.^(-1) for HPC and CMC, respectively.