Browsing by Author "Bakker, M"

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    PublicationOpen Access
    Efficient photodegradation activity of α-Fe2O3/Fe2TiO5/TiO2 and Fe2TiO5/TiO2 nanocomposites synthesized from natural ilmenite
    (Elsevier, 2021-12-01) Thambiliyagodage, C. J; Usgodaarachchi, L; Shanitha, M; Wijesekera, R; Lansakara, B; Bakker, M
    Photocatalysis is an attractive widely used environmental remediation technique. Ternary (α-Fe2O3/Fe2TiO5/TiO2) and binary (Fe2TiO5/TiO2) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by using natural ilmenite sand as the raw material. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by microscopic and spectroscopic analytical techniques. Both nanocomposites were catalytically active for the photodegradation of methylene blue upon irradiation by a light source (LED and sunlight). The visible light absorption of both composites was improved by the presence of Fe2TiO5 and α-Fe2O3 which absorb in the visible. The ternary nanocomposite with type II band alignments was more active than the binary nanocomposite with type I band alignment in the visible light exposure. Under sunlight exposure, binary nanocomposites were more active than the ternary nanocomposites. Band alignment, percentage of TiO2 in the composites and the proper formation of the structure of the composites govern the photocatalytic activity. OH● is suggested as the main species responsible for the photodegradation of methylene blue.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Fabrication of Fe2TiO5/TiO2 binary nanocomposite from natural ilmenite and their photocatalytic activity under solar energy
    (Elsevier, 2021-01-01) Thambiliyagodage, C. J; Mirihana, S; Wijesekera, R; Madusanka, D. S; Kandanapitiye, M; Bakker, M
    Heterogeneous photocatalysis is an attractive alternative route to enhance the degradation of environmental pollutants. In this work, we have fabricated Fe2TiO5/TiO2 binary nanocomposites using natural ilmenite via bottom up approach. Synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, X-ray fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance UV–Visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These nanoparticles are in the range of 40–70 ​nm and are of type I heterostructure with a band gap of 2.02 ​eV. They are sensitive to visible light and show higher photocatalytic activity under direct solar energy. Photocatalytic activity of Fe2TiO5/TiO2 was assessed using a model textile dye, methylene blue. Over a period of 2 ​h, 76% of methylene blue was photodegraded at a rate of 0.0084 min−1 in the presence of Fe2TiO5/TiO2.