Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B by dye-sensitized TiO2 under visible-light irradiation

Perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI),widely used in organic photovoltaic devices,is an n-type semiconductor with strong absorption in the visible-light spectrum.There has been almost no study of the PTCDI-sensitized TiO2 composite used to photocatalytically degrade pollutants.In this study,PTCDIand copper phthalocyanine tetrasulfonic acid (CuPcTs)-sensitized TiO2 composites were prepared using a hydrothermal method.The morphologies and structures of the two composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy,ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy,and fluorescence spectroscopy.The visible-light photocatalytic activities of the composites were evaluated using the degradation of rhodamine B as a model reaction.Results showed that dye-sensitized TiO2 samples had a wider absorption spectrum range and higher visiblelight photocatalytic activity compared to TiO2 samples.The double dye-sensitized (or co-sensitized) TiO2 composite with efficient electron collection exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than did the single dye-sensitized TiO2 composite.The electron transfer processes of single and double dye-sensitized TiO2 composites were illustrated according to band theory.