Effect of the Method of Synthesis in the Photoactivity of TiO₂–Co and TiO₂–CoCe Materials

Cobalt modified TiO2 and cobalt-cerium modified TiO2 were synthesized by sol gel technique using two different routes. In the first case the material was prepared by adding directly the precursor of metal (Co) during the sol-gel synthesis (In situ). The second one consisted in the impregnation of the supports of TiO2 and Ce-TiO2 prepared by sol-gel with a cobalt solution (Impregnated). The materials obtained were characterized by XRD and their textural properties were determined. The effect of the technique of synthesis as well as the presence of cerium in the photocatalytic properties of the material was evaluated in the photodegradation of phenol in aqueous phase. According to the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that both, the integration of the metals during the sol-gel synthesis and the presence of cerium significantly improves the photocatalytic activity of TiO2.