ICMAB Research
A new paper has been published in Surfaces and Interfaces:
Photocatalytic degradation of pollutants represents an effective approach to mitigate environmental contamination. In this study, porous Pt-Mn co-doped TiO2 aerogel nanocomposites were synthesized via a one-pot sol-gel process followed by supercritical drying and evaluated for the degradation of methyl paraben (MeP) under UV-A irradiation. The simultaneous interfacial incorporation of Pt and Mn into a porous TiO2 aerogel represents a novel photocatalyst design that combines the advantages of bimetallic modification with highly porous framework, creating synergistic surface/interface interactions that provide an unexplored strategy for efficient methyl paraben degradation. Structural analysis by X-ray diffraction confirmed the preservation of a pure anatase phase upon co-doping. Morphological and textural characterizations revealed spherical nanoparticles assembled into a highly porous network with large specific surface area. XPS and elemental mapping demonstrated the homogeneous dispersion of Pt and Mn species on the TiO2 surface. Optical properties showed a red shift in the absorption edge along with band gap narrowing, reflecting modifications in the electronic structure induced by co-doping. Furthermore, photoluminescence analysis revealed a pronounced decrease in emission intensity for the co-doped samples, indicating suppressed electron-hole recombination due to the combined charge trapping effect of Pt and Mn. Photocatalytic experiments demonstrated significantly enhanced activity of the Pt-Mn/TiO₂ nanocomposites compared to pristine TiO₂, following pseudo-first-order kinetics. The 0.6%Pt-0.6%Mn/TiO₂ sample exhibited the highest performance, achieving 93 % MeP degradation within 120 min under UV-A irradiation, along with good stability over four cycles. These results demonstrate that the enhanced photocatalytic activity is driven by synergistic surface modification induced by Pt and Mn, which effectively charge separation. This work emphasizes the pivotal role of dopant-induced surface and interface engineering in governing photocatalytic performance for water treatment applications.
M4HTH Smart Nanomedicine
Harnessing Pt-Mn synergy for the engineering of high-performance TiO2 aerogel in pollutant removal
Tbessi, Imen; Benito, Monica; Molins, Elies; Llorca, Jordi; Najjar, Wahiba; Sayadi, Sami
DOI: 10.1016/j.surfin.2026.110460


