TiO2-Acetylacetone as an Efficient Source of Superoxide Radicals under Reduced Power Visible Light: Photocatalytic Degradation of Chlorophenol and Tetracycline

Visible light-sensitive TiO2-based nanomaterials are widely investigated for photocatalytic applications under high power (≥300 W) UV and visible light. The formation of charge transfer complexes (CTCs) between bidentate ligands and nanocrystalline TiO2 promotes visible light absorption and constitutes a promising alternative for environmental remediation under reduced visible light power. However, the efficiency of photodegradation, the volatilization profile of bidentates, and the role of reactive oxidizing species (ROS) are not fully understood. In this study, thermogravimetric analyses coupled with mass spectroscopy (TGA-MS) were performed on TiO2-Acetylacetone (ACAC) CTC. TiO2-ACAC CTC calcined at 300 °C (TiO2-A300) was applied for the photocatalytic degradation of chlorophenol (4-CP) and tetracycline (TC) under low power visible light (26 W). Furthermore, the ROS scavengers isopropanol and benzoquinone were added for studying the photocatalytic role of •OH and •O2− radicals. The TGA-MS showed the release of ACAC fragments, such as ethyl ions and acetone, in the range between 150 °C and 265 °C, while between 300 °C and 450 °C only CO2 and H2O were released during oxidation of ACAC. The photocatalytic abatement of tetracycline (68.6%), performed by TiO2-A300, was ~two times higher than that observed for chlorophenol (31.3%) after 6 h, indicating a distinct participation of ROS in the degradation of these pollutants. The addition of the ROS scavenger revealed •O2− radicals as primarily responsible for the high efficiency of TiO2-ACAC CTC under reduced visible light. On the other hand, the •OH radicals are not efficiently generated in the CTC. Therefore, the development of heterostructures based on TiO2-ACAC CTC can increase the generation of ROS through coupling with semiconductors capable of generating •OH under visible light.