Fabrication of High-Performance (Cu, N)-CodopedTiO2 Photocatalyst for solar Light-Induced Mineralization of Metanil Yellow

Abstract

In this study, visible-light-active (Cu, N)-codoped TiO₂ photocatalyst were synthesized via a sol–gel method using titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) as the precursor. The structural, optical, morphological, and elemental characteristics of the synthesized photocatalysts were comprehensively analyzed using XRD, FT-IR, SEM-EDX, HR-TEM, and UV–Vis DRS techniques. MetanilYellow (MY), an azo dye, was selected as a model pollutant to evaluate the photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized (Cu, N)-codopedTiO₂ photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation. The results revealed that the (Cu, N)-codopedTiO₂ photocatalyst (0.15g/100mL) completely degraded MY (20ppm) within 40 minutes under visible-light exposure. Furthermore, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis confirmed a 99% mineralization rate. The degradation reaction followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with an apparent rate constant of 0.051×10^-3 min⁻¹ (R² = 0.978). The photocatalyst exhibited excellent stability and reusability, maintaining high efficiency for up to five consecutive cycles without significant loss of activity. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of the (Cu, N)-codopedTiO₂ is attributed to the effective suppression of electron–hole recombination. The synthesized nanoparticles were stable, well-crystallized, and environmentally benign, making them suitable for the treatment of organic pollutants in industrial and agricultural wastewater under sunlight. Therefore, the fabricated (Cu, N)-codopedTiO₂ photocatalyst was found to be an efficient and cost-effective material as only a small amount of photocatalyst is required for environmental remediation applications