Exploring the twin potential of nanostructured TiO2:SeO2 as a promising visible light photocatalyst and selective fluorosensing platform

Abstract

Abstract The present work describes the development of TiO2/SeO2 nanostructure as a potential candidate for visible light photocatalysis as well as selective fluorophore for the sensing of picric acid. The obtained nanostructure consists of uniform globular nanoparticles having approximate size of 170 nm and possess an optical band gap of 2.33 eV with absorption maxima at 473 nm. The photocatalyst was able to achieve 90.34% degradation efficiency for 2, 4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) with rate constant of 0.0046 min−1 in the visible region. Further the nanostructure was able to serve as a selective fluorophore for sensing of Picric acid portraying more than 95% of fluorescence quenching when the concentration of PA is 10–4 M. Theoretical calculations indicate the interaction of organic pollutants with the nanostructure and reveal that both picric acid (− 66.21 kcal/mol) and 2,4-DCP (− 12.31 kcal/mol) possess more negative binding energy values demonstrating a strong interaction of both with the nanostructure, making it suitable for the degradation as well as sensing of organic pollutants. Thus this study explains the potential of prepared catalyst for waste water treatment.

Keywords

• TiO2:SeO2 nanostructure
• Photocatalyst
• Fluorophore
• Static quenching
• Aromatic pollutant