LAUSR

Abstract In this study, bromophenol blue was degraded by NiTiO 3 nanoparticles under UV and Visible light irradiation. Due to the toxicity and harmful effects of the bromophenol blue compound in ground and surface water, its photocatalytic decomposition is of utmost importance. NiTiO 3 photocatalyst was synthesized by thermal decomposition of titanium tetra butoxide using Ni(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O and was used for degradation under UV–vis irradiation. The obtained photocatalyst was characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N 2 absorption–desorption. BET analysis was performed to calculate the specific surface area, pore diameter, pore volume and percentage of mesopores of NiTiO 3 . The effects of parameters such as pH, catalyst dosages, and concentrations of bromophenol blue were examined. The results were compared with Degussa P25, a commercial TiO 2 powder, which is commonly used in photocatalytic reactions. Additionally, degradation by TiO 2 and NiTiO 3 under UV and Visible light was tested; NiTiO 3 under both UV and visible light showed higher degradation than TiO 2 in the same conditions. The results show that NiTiO 3 is able to reduce the concentration of bromophenol blue by 91.1% under visible light in an acidic environment.