LAUSR

Four novel porphyrins and their corresponding zinc complexes were synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. Effects of the spacer length of peripheral substituents of porphyrin are investigated in TiO2-porphyrins hybrid systems by photodegradation of methyl orange in aqueous solution under visible light. The photocatalysts were characterized by means of scanning X-ray diffraction, UV–Vis spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and FT-IR spectra. The results indicated that zinc porphyrins were successfully loaded and interacted with the surface of TiO2 microsphere, which is crucial to enhance the activity of the catalytic composite under visible light. All the new photocatalysts showed much enhanced photoactivity than bare TiO2. Especially, the photocatalytic activity of 5,10,15-triphenyl-20-[4-(4-naphthoxy)butoxy] phenyl zinc porphyrin-TiO2 is higher than others.