Photocatalytic performance of glasses embedded with Ag-TiO2 quantum dots on photodegradation of indigo carmine and eosin Y dyes in sunlight

Borosilicate glasses with Ag-TiO2 were successfully prepared by the melt quench technique. Ag-TiO2 quantum dots (QDs) were grown by heat-treatment (HT) schedule and confirmed by XRD study. The size of the glass powder was determined by SEM and found to be 1.757 µm which was confirmed FESEM cluster formation. FTIR spectra examined the structural changes that occurred in glasses on heat-treatment. The size determination of QDs was done by HRTEM and found to be 6.45 nm. The shift in band edge towards a longer wavelength and increase in absorption intensity of plasmonic peak with an increase in heat-treatment time entails the increase in size of QDs with heat-treatment and a decrease in the band gap. Incorporation of Ag-TiO2 QDs in the inert glass matrix exhibits a superior photocatalyst for indigo carmine (IC) and eosin Y (EY) dyes degradation and good stability with near initial capacity under irradiation of visible light.