Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-Nitrophenol in Aqueous Suspension by Using Polycrystalline TiO2 Impregnated with Lanthanide Double-Decker Phthalocyanine Complexes

The photocatalytic activity of polycrystalline TiO2 samples impregnated with rare-earth-metal diphthalocyanines was investigated. The 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) photocatalytic degradation in aqueous suspension was used as a probe reaction. Commercial anatase TiO2 was impregnated with home-prepared double-decker phthalocyanine complexes of the lanthanide metals, such as Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Ho, and Gd. In particular, the impregnation with Ho, Sm, and Nd complexes, acting as sensitizers, proved beneficial for the photoactivity of the studied systems. Significant improvements of the TiO2-based catalytic system appeared possible in terms of lower impregnation loading, enhanced photoreactivity under solar light irradiation, as well as chemical, thermal, and photochemical stability of the sensitizers. Enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2 samples impregnated with lanthanide diphthalocyanines in comparison with those impregnated with Cu(II)-porphyrin has been manifested in the decomposition rate of 4-NP. The phthalocyanine sensitizers proved somewhat less efficient for the disappearance of total organic carbon (TOC).