Pt/Ga2O3–SiO2 nanoparticles for efficient visible-light photocatalysis

Ga2O3–SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared via a sol–gel method, and Pt was immobilised on the surface of Ga2O3–SiO2 via a photo-assisted deposition (PAD) method. The catalytic performance of the samples was evaluated for the photocatalytic oxidation of cyanide using visible light. XRD and EDX results show that Pt is well dispersed within Ga2O3–SiO2. The BET results reveal that the surface area of Ga2O3–SiO2 is higher than that of the Pt/Ga2O3–SiO2 samples. 0.3 wt% Pt/Ga2O3–SiO2 has the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of cyanide. The catalyst can be reused with no loss in activity during the first 10 cycles.