Curcumin-sensitized TiO₂ for enhanced photodegradation of dyes under visible light

Curcumin was coated on P25 TiO₂ by using impregnation method from freshly prepared curcumin solution. The resulting products (Cur–TiO₂–P25) was studied by several techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, specific surface area by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, and UV–Vis diffused reflectance spectroscopy. Experimental results revealed that impregnation of curcumin at 0.5, 3, 5, and 7 wt% did not affect the native phase of anatase and rutile in P25 significantly, however, it caused red shift of absorption onset in all curcumin-coated samples. The Cur–TiO₂–P25 showed enhanced adsorption efficiency and increased photocatalytic activity under visible light with optimal result at 5 wt% curcumin content. Commercial anatase and rutile coated with curcumin (Cur–TiO₂–an and Cur–TiO₂–ru) were also prepared by the same method for the use in comparative studies of photodegradation of dyes. Cur–TiO₂–an and Cur–TiO₂–ru were also characterized with some selected equipment above but not as extensively as the Cur–TiO₂–P25. Curcumin coating helped improve photocatalytic efficiencies of P25 and anatase but not for rutile. The mechanism of photocatalytic reaction was proposed that under visible light irradiation, curcumin molecule could act as dye sensitizing agent that injected electron into the conduction band of TiO₂ leading to photodegradation of dyes.