TiO<sub>2</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub> Composites for the Efficient Degradation of Benzoic Acid and Hydrogen Production
LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composites were prepared in the range 0–12.2 wt% of LaFeO<sub>3</sub>, characterized, and tested for both benzoic acid (BA) and 4-methoxycinnamic acid (MCA) degradation in aqueous solution, and hydrogen evolution. The preparation...
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2025-03-01
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| author | Isabella Natali Sora Benedetta Bertolotti Renato Pelosato Andrea Lucotti Matteo Tommasini Marica Muscetta |
| author_facet | Isabella Natali Sora Benedetta Bertolotti Renato Pelosato Andrea Lucotti Matteo Tommasini Marica Muscetta |
| author_sort | Isabella Natali Sora |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composites were prepared in the range 0–12.2 wt% of LaFeO<sub>3</sub>, characterized, and tested for both benzoic acid (BA) and 4-methoxycinnamic acid (MCA) degradation in aqueous solution, and hydrogen evolution. The preparation method was via ball-milling without thermal treatment. The composite materials presented agglomerates of LaFeO<sub>3</sub> with an average size from 1 to 5 μm, and the TiO<sub>2</sub> powder was well dispersed onto the surface of each sample. They showed varying activities for BA degradation depending on composition and light wavelength. The 6.2 wt% and 12.2 wt%-LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composites exhibited the highest activity under 380–800 nm light and could degrade BA in 300 min at BA concentration 13.4 mg L<sup>−1</sup> and catalyst 0.12 g L<sup>−1</sup>. Using a 450 nm LED light source, all composites degraded less than 10% of BA, but in the presence of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (1 mM) the photocatalytic activity was as high as 96% in <120 min, 6.2 wt%-LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composite being the most efficient sample. It was found that in the presence of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, BA degradation followed first order kinetic with a reaction rate constant of 4.8 × 10<sup>−4</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>. The hydrogen production rate followed a classical volcano-like behavior, with the highest reactivity (1600 μmol h<sup>−1</sup>g<sup>−1</sup> at 60 °C) in the presence of 3.86%wt- LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub>. It was also found that LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> exhibited high stability in four recycled tests without losing activity for hydrogen production. Furthermore, a discussion on photogenerated charge-carrier transfer mechanism is briefly provided, focusing on lacking significant photocatalytic activity under 450 nm light, so p-n heterojunction formation is unlikely. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-16f51ac9815445f28d2dfcf83da3aa8d2025-08-20T03:08:57ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-03-01307152610.3390/molecules30071526TiO<sub>2</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub> Composites for the Efficient Degradation of Benzoic Acid and Hydrogen ProductionIsabella Natali Sora0Benedetta Bertolotti1Renato Pelosato2Andrea Lucotti3Matteo Tommasini4Marica Muscetta5Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Scienze Applicate, Università di Bergamo, Viale Marconi 5, 24044 Dalmine, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria e Scienze Applicate, Università di Bergamo, Viale Marconi 5, 24044 Dalmine, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria e Scienze Applicate, Università di Bergamo, Viale Marconi 5, 24044 Dalmine, ItalyDipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, ItalyDipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione (DICMaPI), Università di Napoli Federico II, Piazzale V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, ItalyLaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composites were prepared in the range 0–12.2 wt% of LaFeO<sub>3</sub>, characterized, and tested for both benzoic acid (BA) and 4-methoxycinnamic acid (MCA) degradation in aqueous solution, and hydrogen evolution. The preparation method was via ball-milling without thermal treatment. The composite materials presented agglomerates of LaFeO<sub>3</sub> with an average size from 1 to 5 μm, and the TiO<sub>2</sub> powder was well dispersed onto the surface of each sample. They showed varying activities for BA degradation depending on composition and light wavelength. The 6.2 wt% and 12.2 wt%-LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composites exhibited the highest activity under 380–800 nm light and could degrade BA in 300 min at BA concentration 13.4 mg L<sup>−1</sup> and catalyst 0.12 g L<sup>−1</sup>. Using a 450 nm LED light source, all composites degraded less than 10% of BA, but in the presence of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (1 mM) the photocatalytic activity was as high as 96% in <120 min, 6.2 wt%-LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composite being the most efficient sample. It was found that in the presence of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, BA degradation followed first order kinetic with a reaction rate constant of 4.8 × 10<sup>−4</sup> s<sup>−1</sup>. The hydrogen production rate followed a classical volcano-like behavior, with the highest reactivity (1600 μmol h<sup>−1</sup>g<sup>−1</sup> at 60 °C) in the presence of 3.86%wt- LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub>. It was also found that LaFeO<sub>3</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> exhibited high stability in four recycled tests without losing activity for hydrogen production. Furthermore, a discussion on photogenerated charge-carrier transfer mechanism is briefly provided, focusing on lacking significant photocatalytic activity under 450 nm light, so p-n heterojunction formation is unlikely.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/7/1526lanthanum ferritebenzoic acid degradationphotocatalytic hydrogen evolutionsemiconductor photocatalyst |
| spellingShingle | Isabella Natali Sora Benedetta Bertolotti Renato Pelosato Andrea Lucotti Matteo Tommasini Marica Muscetta TiO<sub>2</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub> Composites for the Efficient Degradation of Benzoic Acid and Hydrogen Production Molecules lanthanum ferrite benzoic acid degradation photocatalytic hydrogen evolution semiconductor photocatalyst |
| title | TiO<sub>2</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub> Composites for the Efficient Degradation of Benzoic Acid and Hydrogen Production |
| title_full | TiO<sub>2</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub> Composites for the Efficient Degradation of Benzoic Acid and Hydrogen Production |
| title_fullStr | TiO<sub>2</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub> Composites for the Efficient Degradation of Benzoic Acid and Hydrogen Production |
| title_full_unstemmed | TiO<sub>2</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub> Composites for the Efficient Degradation of Benzoic Acid and Hydrogen Production |
| title_short | TiO<sub>2</sub>/LaFeO<sub>3</sub> Composites for the Efficient Degradation of Benzoic Acid and Hydrogen Production |
| title_sort | tio sub 2 sub lafeo sub 3 sub composites for the efficient degradation of benzoic acid and hydrogen production |
| topic | lanthanum ferrite benzoic acid degradation photocatalytic hydrogen evolution semiconductor photocatalyst |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/7/1526 |
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