Laser-Synthesized Vanadium-Based Nanoparticles on TiO2 Nanotubes for Photocatalytic Degradation of Acid Yellow 23

Various metal-modified titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes have been widely investigated for water purification due to their large surface area, stability, and photocatalytic activity. In this context, this study investigates the deposition of vanadium-based nanoparticles (V NPs) on TiO2 nanotubes via immersion in aqueous dispersions of V NPs synthesized by picosecond and nanosecond pulsed laser ablation in liquid at four different output energies (picosecond: 15 and 30 mJ; nanosecond: 120 and 250 mJ), with the aim of improving their photocatalytic performance. By optimizing the concentration of V NPs in the dispersions and the immersion time, the degradation efficiency of Acid Yellow 23 under photocatalytic conditions was enhanced for TiO2 modified with V NPs synthesized at output energies of 30 and 250 mJ, whereas no improvement was observed for TiO2 modified with V NPs synthesized at 15 and 120 mJ. A series of V-TiO2 photocatalysts was fabricated by depositing laser-synthesized V NPs of various sizes on TiO2 nanotubes prepared by electrochemical anodization of a titanium mesh.