Abstract
The effect of the inner diameter of TiO 2 nanotubes on the incorporation of hydrothermally synthesized LaFeO 3 nanoparticles into the nanotube pores was investigated, and the photocatalytic activity of the resulting nanocomposite materials was evaluated. By varying the electrochemical anodization voltage from 20 to 60 V, TiO 2 nanotubes with inner diameters ranging from 50 to 120 nm were obtained. The anodization time was adjusted to achieve a nanotube film thickness of approximately 4 μm. Subsequently, LaFeO 3 nanoparticles were incorporated into the pores of the TiO 2 nanotubes by hydrothermal synthesis. The synthesized samples were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoelectrochemical measurements. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated based on the degradation of organic dyes, namely methylene blue, Congo red, and rhodamine B. It was found that increasing the inner diameter of the TiO 2 nanotubes promotes more effective incorporation of LaFeO 3 nanoparticles into the nanotube pores. This, in turn, increases the LaFeO 3 content in the composite and enhances its photocatalytic activity. The best photocatalytic performance was achieved for the sample synthesized at an anodization voltage of 60 V, which exhibited degradation efficiencies of 65.4% for methylene blue, 82.1% for rhodamine B, and 32.0% for Congo red.