Photocatalytic Properties of Metal-Semiconductor Nanosystems

In this work, the photocatalytic properties of TiO
₂
:S,C and TiO
₂
:S,C/Ag nanosystems were studied during the photodegradation of the Rhodamine G dye under the influence of semiconductor laser with the radiation wavelength of 450 nm. The gel paste based on an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol, which contained 6% hydrogen peroxide, the Rodamin G dye and a different amount of nanopowder photocatalyst was prepared. The optimal concentrations for the photocatalytic dye decomposition reaction for each material were determined. It was shown that TiO
₂
:S,C nanosystem coated by silver nanoparticles has significant photocatalytic properties in the visible spectral range and significantly reduces the half-reaction time, compared to pure TiO
₂
. This is an important characteristic for the wide practical application of the modified titanium dioxide as a nanophotocatalysts.