Synthesis of TiO2 by the pechini method and photocatalytic degradation of methyl red

this work evaluated the catalytic activity of tio2 synthesized by the pechini method. with varying molar ratios of 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 of citric acid/metallic cations, in the photocatalytic degradation of methyl red dye in aqueous solution. the samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, phase quantification by rietveld structure refinement, and textural analysis by nitrogen adsorption, and their photocatalytic performance was bench- tested. the results indicated that the 3:1 and 4:1 samples contained two phases, with 84.4 and 89% of anatase phase and 15.6 and 11% of rutile phase, respectively. the 2:1 sample contained only anatase phase. the total discoloration of methyl red dye in 24 hours confirmed the high photocatalytic efficiency of the 2:1 sample, which was ascribed to the formation of monophasic anatase.