Paulus Lobo Gareso, Heryanto Heryanto, Sri Suryani, Dahlang Tahir, Paulina Taba, Didik Aryanto, Muh Ade Artasasta
The photodegradation of Fe-doped anatase-rutile mixed-phase TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) under visible light to degrade methylene blue has been studied. TiO2 NPs were successfully synthesized using the co-precipitation method. These nanoparticles were characterized using XRD, UV–Vis, FTIR, FESEM, HRTEM, and EDX. The XRD analysis revealed that the diffraction patterns exhibited two-phase structures, namely, anatase and rutile phase structures, where the intensity of the rutile phase structures was greater than that of the anatase phase structures. The UV–Vis result indicated a reduction of the band-gap energy of the Fe-TiO2 NPs. FESEM micrographs revealed that agglomerations formed clusters, and SEM results showed that the nanoparticles aggregate to create surface structures resembling edelweiss flowers. Based on Kramers–Kronig analysis, there is a reduction in optical phonon (Δ(LO-TO)) cm−1 difference with a decrease in the rutile fraction as a function of Fe. The reduction in the rutile phase fraction correlated with a decrease in photocatalytic activity, indicating that the rutile phase plays a crucial role in the photodegradation process (1wt% achieved. kads rate: 0.00273 min−1). These results suggest that Fe-doped anatase–rutile mixed-phase TiO2 nanoparticles are suitable as photocatalysts. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers 2025.
Department of Physics, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, 90245, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar, 90245, Indonesia; Research Centre for Advanced Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency KST BJ Habibie, Banten, Tangerang Selatan, 15314, Indonesia; Department of Applied Science, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
