Synthesis and characterization of natural zeolite supported Cr-doped TiO2 photocatalysts

Natural zeolite supported Cr-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized for the sake of improving the recovery and photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface areas, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS) and photoluminescence (PL). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange in aqueous solution. The results show that the Cr concentration and the calcination temperature play important role on the microstructure and photocatalytic activity of the samples. The 10 mol% Cr-doped TiO2/zeolite calcined at 400 °C exhibits higher photocatalytic activity than that of the other samples.