Photocatalytic degradation of Acid Red 88 using Au–TiO2 nanoparticles in aqueous solutions

Metal loaded semiconductors in general possess greater photocatalytic activity than pure semiconductors. Hence, with an attempt to achieve higher photocatalytic activity, Au–TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by deposition–precipitation method and used for the photocatalytic degradation of an azo dye (Acid Red 88; AR88). The materials were characterized by different analytical techniques. A possible mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation of AR88 by Au–TiO2 in the absence and presence of other oxidizing agents (peroxomonosulfate (PMS), peroxodisulfate (PDS) & hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)) has been proposed. The extent of mineralization of the target pollutant was also evaluated using Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis.