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

Abstract

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 $g^{-1}$ solution 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 ◦ C, with the surface area up to 276 m2 $g^{-1}$ , 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 $g^{-1}$ sol. for HPC and CMC, respectively.