Synthesis and Characterization of Nonmetal-doped TiO2 Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye

A novel series of C-, N-, and F-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were fabricated using a simple sol-gel method, utilizing 4-(trifluoromethyl)nicotinic acid (TFNA) as a precursor for carbon, nitrogen, and fluorine doping. The resulting materials were characterized using different advanced techniques such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The synthesis approach involved the creation of nanoparticles with varying weights of TFNA, ranging from 0.3 to 1.6 wt. %, followed by calcination at 400 °C for 120 min in the presence of air. The resulting nanostructures were tested for their efficiency in degrading rhodamine B (RhB) dye under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. The experimental findings revealed that the 1.6 wt. % TFNA/TiO2 composite exhibited exceptional photocatalytic activity, with approximately 87.0 % degradation efficiency towards RhB dye in aqueous solutions under UV light. This remarkable performance can be attributed to the increased lifetime of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and accelerated interfacial charge transfer rates.