Visible-light responsive ZnSe-anchored mesoporous TiO 2 heterostructures for boosted photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI).

The accumulation of Cr(VI) ions in water can cause serious influences on the environment and human health. This work reports a humble synthesis of ZnSe nanoparticles anchored to the sol-gel prepared TiO 2 for visible-light-driven photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) ions. The 7.9 nm ZnSe nanoparticles were attached to TiO 2 surfaces at a content of 1.0-4.0 wt% as experiential by TEM investigation. The designed nanocomposite unveiled mesostructured surfaces exhibiting surface areas of 176-210 m 2 g -1 . The impregnation of ZnSe amended the visible-light absorption of TiO 2 due to the bandgap decrease from 3.14 to 2.90 eV. The photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) applying the optimized portion of 3.0 wt% ZnSe/TiO 2 was achieved at 177 μ mol min -1 . This photocatalytic activity is higher than the common Degussa P25 and pristine TiO 2 by 20 and 30 times, respectively. The improved performance is signified by the efficient interfacial separation of charge carriers by the introduction of ZnSe. This innovative ZnSe/TiO 2 has also shown photocatalytic stability for five consecutive runs.