Easy way to produce iron-doped titania nanoparticles via the solid-state method and investigation their photocatalytic activity

This study focuses on the synthesis of iron-doped TiO2 nanoparticles “via solid-state” method, as an alternative to the more common doping strategies, with different iron content (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt%) using commercial titania Degussa P25 and TiO2 synthesized (sTiO2) via microemulsion method. The samples were characterized by SEM, BET, UV–Vis-DRS, and XRD. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated in terms of methylene blue (MB) degradation in aqueous solution under visible radiation (LED lamp 13 W) and under different conditions (pH, catalyst dosage, pollutant initial concentration, irradiance). The tests showed a big difference between sTiO2 and Degussa 25. The sTiO2 with an iron load of 1.0 wt% (1% Fe–TiO2) has been proven to be the best photocatalyst. This behavior is attributed to the Fe3+ species in sTiO2 crystal lattice whose presence decreases the bandgap. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].