Curcumin-sensitized anatase TiO2 nanoparticles for photodegradation of methyl orange with solar radiation

Curcumin, a non toxic yellow food additive, has been used here to sensitize TiO₂ in photodegradation of methyl orange contaminant in water with solar light. Using natural dyes is a promising replacement for the hazardous heavy metal-based systems, such as CdS and Ru-compounds, in sensitizing wide band gap semiconductors. Naked (TiO₂/Curcumin) and activated-carbon supported (AC/TiO₂/Curcumin) catalyst systems were prepared and investigated here. The effects of different reaction parameters on reaction rate, such as amount of catalyst, contaminant concentration and pH, were all studied in terms of turn number (T.N.) and quantum yield (Q.Y.) values. The results show that curcumin can sensitize TiO₂ particles to solar light in methyl orange photo-degradation processes.