Ba-doped TiO2 nanotube hybrid nanoarchitecture as highly efficient photocatalysts

Abstract Dyes are among the most toxic and persistent pollutants in water, making it unsafe for human consumption and posing serious environmental threats. To tackle this challenge, we developed a sustainable approach by modifying TiO 2 with barium (Ba), creating a highly efficient photocatalytic material for the purification of dye-contaminated water. TiO 2 is considered a sustainable material due to its non-hazardous nature and chemical stability, making it an excellent candidate for dye degradation in water systems. However, it suffers from a low surface area and rapid recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which limit its photocatalytic efficiency. To overcome these limitations, we investigated a novel modification of TiO 2 nanotubes by doping them with Ba using the hydrothermal method. The resulting Ba-doped TiO 2 nanocomposite exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for dye degradation. The material was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The results demonstrated a substantial improvement in photodegradation capability after doping TiO 2 with Ba. For Indigo Carmine dye, unmodified TiO 2 showed minimal degradation (no more than 4%), while Ba-TiO 2 achieved ~ 99% degradation. In the case of Azocarmine-G dye, TiO 2 degraded about 20%, whereas Ba-TiO 2 achieved ~ 81% degradation. For Benzopurpurin dye, TiO 2 and Ba-TiO 2 exhibited degradation rates of 43% and 97%, respectively .