Nd@TiO₂ Nanocomposite for Photocatalytic Inactivation of .

In present work, a novel Nd@TiO₂ Nanocomposite, synthesized successfully by a facile sol-gel method, reveals significant light-activated antibacterial activity. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show the anatase phase and globular shape of Nd@TiO₂. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and low temperature N₂ adsorption (BET) indicate Nd@TiO₂ has the narrow band gap (3.0 eV) and a high specific surface area (121.1 m₂·g). Furthermore, the prepared Nd@TiO₂ exhibits unprecedented higher photocatalytic activity than P25 TiO₂. In water, Nd@TiO₂ has higher inactivation against bacteria under simulated solar light irradiation 70 min than TiO₂, and the highest antibacterial efficiency (91.5%) of was achieved on Nd@TiO₂.