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Defect‐Engineered Ca‐TiO2 Nanomaterials for Enhanced Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation of Water Pollutants on Sustainable Cellulose Membranes

Abstract

Abstract A defect engineering strategy is employed to produce defective calcium‐doped TiO 2 nanomaterials (Ca:TiO 2 ), which are subsequently incorporated into cellulose‐based membranes. Structural defects, including vacancies, stacking faults, grain boundaries and voids emerged from the interplay between calcium doping and microwave irradiation. The 10 mol.% Ca:TiO 2 membrane achieves an 81% degradation rate and an adsorption capacity of ≈25.8 mg g −1 , showcasing excellent photocatalytic and adsorption performance. The enhanced performance is attributed to the high surface area of Ca:TiO 2 agglomerates, the presence of oxygen vacancies, structural defects and the abundance of surface hydroxyl groups. X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the Fermi level of the 10 mol.% Ca:TiO 2 nanomaterial is positioned near the conduction band edge, indicating a significant modification of its electronic properties, with high electrical conductivity at room temperature (RT). Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations provided a deeper insight into the impact of calcium doping, revealing that calcium (Ca) incorporation promotes the formation of oxygen vacancies, introducing additional electronic states near the bottom of the conduction band, thereby enhancing the material's electrical conductivity. By integrating eco‐friendly materials and defect‐engineered nanomaterials doped with earth‐abundant elements, this work aligns with sustainability principles, fostering the development of next‐generation adsorptive and photocatalytic membranes.

Category

Academic article

Language

English

Author(s)

  • Maria Leonor Matias
  • Diana Gaspar
  • David Carvalho
  • Ana Pimentel
  • Luís Pereira
  • Ana S. Reis Machado
  • Joana Rodrigues
  • Teresa Monteiro
  • José D. Gouveia
  • Patricia Almeida Carvalho
  • Jonas Deuermeier
  • Rodrigo Martins
  • Elvira Fortunato
  • Daniela Nunes

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Industry / Sustainable Energy Technology

Date

05.08.2025

Year

2025

Published in

Advanced Sustainable Systems

Volume

9

Issue

10

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository