Photocatalytic degradation of acetaminophen from water solutions via thin films part I: preparation, characteriation, and analysis of titanium dioxide thin films

Sunil Rawal; Sabrina H. Buer; Wayne Hawkins; Jonathan Robby Sanders; Pedro E. Arce

doi:10.1515/ijcre-2021-0039

Article

Photocatalytic degradation of acetaminophen from water solutions via thin films part I: preparation, characteriation, and analysis of titanium dioxide thin films

Sunil Rawal , Sabrina H. Buer , Wayne Hawkins , Jonathan Robby Sanders and Pedro E. Arce

Published/Copyright: December 6, 2021

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From the journal International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering Volume 20 Issue 1

Abstract

The utilization of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) photocatalysis for water and air purification is a frequently used method due to TiO₂ having properties making it chemically inert, highly cost-effective, abundant, non-toxic, and environmentally-friendly. In an effort to increase the efficiency of the degradation process, an in-depth understanding of the effects of the structure and number of thin film coatings is needed. Transparent, anatase-form titanium dioxide thin films were prepared via the sol-gel method and deposited onto microscopic glass slides using a novel spraying technique, with coatings ranging from 1 to 10. Characterization of the TiO₂ thin film coated slides was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The contribution shows that the coating technique is efficient in covering important areas of the surface and that it is suitable for a multiple coating layers thin film. The SEM imagines show that the surface of the slides increase coverage as the number of layers increases. This is potentially suitable for a mechanized spraying approach to upscaling the production of thin films for advanced oxidation applications.

Keywords: degradation; photocatalysis; photocatalytic degradation; reaction rates; titanium dioxide

Corresponding author: Pedro E. Arce, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN 38502, USA, E-mail: Parce@tnech.edu

Manuscript submitted for Dr. Mario O. Alfano honoring issue of IJCRE.

Funding source: Manufacturing Research Center, TTU, Cookeville, TN

Acknowledgement

Partial financial support from the Environmental PhD Program via de College of Interdisciplinary Studies and from the College of Engineering, TTU, are gratefully acknowledged. Preliminary results related to this research were presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting, Minnesota (2017) and at the Student Research Day, TTU.

Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: This work was supported by the Center for Manufacturing Research, TTU, Cookeville, TN.
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2021-02-17

Accepted: 2021-11-03

Published Online: 2021-12-06

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijcre-2021-0039

Keywords for this article

degradation; photocatalysis; photocatalytic degradation; reaction rates; titanium dioxide