Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Activity of Microspheres Functionalized with Porphyrin

In order to utilize visible light more efficiently in the photocatalytic reaction, microspheres sensitized by 5-(4-allyloxy)phenyl-10,15,20-tri(4-methylphenyl)porphyrin (APTMPP) were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen physisorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and so forth, The characterization results indicated that APTMPP-MPS- was composed of the anatase crystal phase. The morphology of the composite materials was spheriform with size of 0.3–0.7 μ m and the porphyrin was chemisorbed on the surface of through a Si–O–Ti bond. The photooxidation of α -terpinene was employed as the model reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of APTMPP-MPS- microspheres under visible light. The results indicated that the photodegradation of α -terpinene was significantly enhanced in the presence of the APTMPP-MPS- compared with the nonmodified under visible light.