Date of Award

Spring 5-2-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MS Chemistry

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Advisor

Alexander Y. Fadeev, PhD

Committee Member

James E. Hanson, PhD

Committee Member

Sergiu M. Gorun, PhD

Keywords

Photocatalysis, GeO₂ doping, Phthalocyanines, Methyl Orange, Solid-state UV-Vis, Hybrid materials, Dye degradation

Abstract

This research explores the development of hybrid photocatalysts by combining GeO₂ doping of metal oxides with phthalocyanine functionalization to enhance the degradation of Methyl Orange (MO) dye under visible light. Four metal oxide supports, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, SiO₂, and ZrO₂, were tested in their pristine form, then modified with GeO₂ and further functionalized by solution adsorption using two types of zinc phthalocyanines: F₁₆PcZn and F₆₄PcZn.

The degradation of MO was monitored using UV-Vis spectroscopy, and kinetic models were applied to evaluate the reaction rates. The results showed that the bare oxides exhibited little to no photocatalytic performance. GeO₂ doping improved activity modestly. The greatest enhancement was observed after they were functionalized with phthalocyanines, particularly F₆₄PcZn.

Among all tested systems, TiO₂/GeO₂/F₆₄PcZn and Al₂O₃/GeO₂/F₆₄PcZn demonstrated the fastest degradation, with half-life values of 20 and 18 minutes, respectively, marking a dramatic improvement compared to over 2000 minutes for bare TiO₂. These findings highlight the synergistic effects of oxide doping and molecular sensitization in designing efficient photocatalysts for potential environmental applications.

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