Synthesis, Optical Properties and Photocatalytic Testing of Sol–Gel TiO2-Fe2O3/PVP Nanopowders

In this study, TiO2-Fe2O3/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) hybrids were prepared using the sol–gel method. The iron content in the synthesized samples was 10 and 20 wt%. The influence of PVP on the phase transformation, morphology and optical properties of the as-prepared hybrids was characterized by various physicochemical methods—XRD analysis, UV–Vis spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and SEM. The obtained sol–gel powders were tested for photocatalytic activity against tetracycline hydrochloride in distilled water under ultraviolet and simulated solar light illumination. The obtained results were compared to commercial TiO2 P25 (Evonik). The investigated samples exhibited good photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride; however, better activity was demonstrated by the 90TiO2-10Fe2O3/PVP sample. The latter one displayed weak antibacterial action against E. coli ATCC 25922 in the presence of UVA light.