Influence of CuWO<sub>4</sub>-induced heterostructures on porous TiO<sub>2</sub> ceramic coatings for Cr<SUP>6+</SUP> reduction
Bahramian, Hamed, Fattah-alhosseini, Arash, Karbasi, Minoo, Kaseem, Mosab, Sillanpaa, Mika, Dikici, Burak
The discharge of wastewater containing carcinogenic and genotoxic Cr6+ poses severe risks to environmental and human health. This study presents TiO2/CuWO4 heterostructure photocatalysts synthesized via hydrothermal post-treatment of PEO coatings for Cr6+ photoreduction. Comprehensive analyses including morphological, structural, compositional, optical, and photoelectrochemical characterization confirmed the formation of a hierarchical coating with uniformly distributed CuWO4 particles on microporous TiO2. The enhanced Cr6+ photoreduction efficiency stems from CuWO4's narrower bandgap, its heterojunction formation with TiO2, improved charge carrier separation, reduced charge-transfer resistance, and increased photocurrent, yielding a photocatalytic rate constant 3.77 times higher than that of pure TiO2 coatings. These findings provide crucial insights into Cr6+ reduction mechanisms and introduce a new approach for photocatalytic coatings in environmental applications.
- Journal
- PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
- Year
- 2025
- Volume
- 202
- ISSN
- 0957-5820
- eISSN
- 1744-3598
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.psep.2025.107814
- WoS UID
- WOS:001567273300003