Boosting photocatalytic activity of single metal atom oxide anchored on TiO2 nanoparticles: An efficient catalyst for photodegradation of pharmaceutical pollutants

The distribution of active sites across the surface of a catalyst can help alleviate issues with mass transfer and improve atom economy. To create such a precise catalyst, this work reports the high loading of a single metal (tungsten/nickel) atom oxide anchored on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles (WNiTiR) through a simple sonication method. According to aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), tungsten/nickel atoms are distributed uniformly over TiO2 and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The photodegradation process was optimized by investigating the impact of different catalysts, dosage variations, and the pH of the reaction medium. Remarkably, the WNiTiR nanocomposites demonstrated increased photocatalytic activity by degrading over 97.15% of Ibuprofen (IBF) and 98.35% of Ciprofloxacin (CF) pollutants. The findings of the experiment on reactive oxygen species (ROS) showed that the predominant active species were superoxide radicals (O2 center dot-). In addition, the WNiTiR nanocomposite displayed superior structural stability and reusability even after being put through six cycles of continuous use.