Water pollution is a global problem that affects ecosystems, the economy and human health. The most common pollutants include microplastics, persistent organic compounds, heavy metals and organic compounds that enter water systems through domestic and industrial wastewater. These compounds are difficult to degrade in the environment on their own. One of the methods for their degradation is heterogeneous photocatalysis, in which irradiation and suitable catalysts (usually metal oxides) are used to convert poorly degradable compounds into smaller and less harmful compounds. Titanium(IV) oxide (TiO₂) is a commonly used catalyst due to its good photocatalytic properties. Its modifications, such as doping with different metal ions, can enhance its efficiency. The purpose of this work was to synthesize TiO₂ modified with various niobium (Nb) dopants using the sol-gel method and then to characterize them. The characterization involved nitrogen physisorption analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. To determine the catalytic activity, the degradation reaction of the water pollutant phenytoin was carried out using UV-A light. Ti₀.₉₀Nb₀.₁₀O₂ and Ti₀.₈₅Nb₀.₁₅O₂ emerged as the most active catalysts, degrading 42 % of phenytoin in solution.
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