Dichloro (1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione) palladium (II) complex supported by mesoporous silica SBA-15 as a photocatalyst for degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol

A new photocatalyst, dichloro (1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione) palladium (II) complex supported on SBA-15 silica was synthesized by ship-in-a-bottle method. The products obtained were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Ultraviolet–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), 1H NMR spectroscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The band gap energy of the complex was determined by the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculation, indicating that it can be considered appropriate candidate for photocatalytic activity in the region of solar spectrum. The results indicated improved photocatalytic efficiency for the complex supported on SBA-15 silica compared to the pure complex. To improve photocatalytic activity, the effect of complex loading and optimal synthesis conditions were investigated.