Synthesis of Ag decorated TiO2 nanoneedles for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye

Abstract Water pollution due to the discharge of industrial effluents such as dyes is a serious concern that requires a potential remedy. In this context, photocatalysis is a potent and ecofriendly strategy to degrade these toxic water effluents. In this study, a novel approach to prepare TiO 2 nanoneedles decorated with Ag nanoparticles is reported. The sample was prepared using modified photodeposition and was annealed at 400 °C. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that TiO 2 in anatase phase with the presence of Ag were prepared successfully. The corresponding crystalline size of TiO 2 and Ag were 6.86 nm and 3.94 nm, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the prepared TiO 2 exhibited nanoneedles structure decorated with Ag nanoparticles. The prepared sample exhibited impressive photocatalytic performance toward degrading of 50 ppm Methyl Blue (MB) in the presence of UV irradiation. Using catalyst dose of 4 mg the photodegradation efficiency (PDE) reached to 98.7% after 50 min of UV irradiation. This improved photocatalytic activity is attributed to high catalytic activity and surface area of the synthesized Ag decorated TiO 2 nanoneedles.