Synergistic Charge Separation in Engineered 2D CoTiO3/TiO2 Composites for Superior Photocatalysis

Synergistic Charge Separation in Engineered 2D CoTiO3/TiO2 Composites for Superior Photocatalysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Synergistic Charge Separation in Engineered 2D CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 Composites for Superior Photocatalysis Min Deng, Shasha Zhang, Jiayi Liang, Ziyuan Li, Hongbo Jiang, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8846608/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 composite material with a special nanostructure was successfully prepared using layered hydrogen titanate (HTO) as the precursor. First, HTO was pretreated with hydrogen peroxide to obtain an H 2 O 2 -HTO intermediate with an increased interlayer spacing. During this process, active peroxy groups were introduced into the layer plates, significantly enhancing the reaction activity of the material. Subsequently, the modified precursor was subjected to an ion-exchange reaction with (CH 3 COO) 2 Co·4H 2 O solutions of different concentrations. This reaction successfully achieved the selective exchange of Co 2+ for H + between the layers and the subsequent topotactic transformation, ultimately yielding a CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 nanocomposite with a plate - like morphology. The analysis results from various characterization methods showed that HTO treated with H 2 O 2 could effectively increase the interlayer spacing, creating favorable conditions for metal ion exchange and ultimately leading to the successful preparation of the CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 composite. The study also found that the CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 material prepared by the H 2 O 2 exchange method still retained its original plate - like morphology. Using rhodamine B as the target degradation substance, the photocatalytic degradation performance of the CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 composite was systematically studied, and its degradation conditions were optimized. The experimental results showed that the composite exhibited the best photocatalytic degradation effect under the following conditions: using sunlight as the visible light source, a dark adsorption time of 30 min, an illumination time of 30 min, a catalyst dosage of 25 mg, a molar ratio of CoTiO 3 to TiO 2 of 8/2, and an initial concentration of the rhodamine B (RhB) solution of 20 mg･L - ¹(volume of 50 mL). In addition, the study found that, under the catalytic action of the CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 nanocomposite, combined with the synergistic effect of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and visible light(VIS), the degradation efficiency of RhB was significantly higher than that in the system using PMS alone. This was mainly due to the high - energy input of the visible light source, which could excite the generation of highly oxidizing active substances on the catalyst surface, thereby accelerating the degradation process. This result confirmed that the CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 composite could effectively activate PMS and significantly improve the degradation efficiency. Meanwhile, the cyclic stability experiment showed that the catalyst had good reusability, providing an important basis for its application in the actual environment. CoTiO3/TiO2 composite Photocatalytic Catalytic Degradation performance Catalytic activity Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupportingInformation.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8846608","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":611001854,"identity":"40182a46-a929-4117-8537-fd083e9c3030","order_by":0,"name":"Min Deng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Baoji University of Arts and Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Min","middleName":"","lastName":"Deng","suffix":""},{"id":611001855,"identity":"5ce40de7-85f3-4fa5-8989-2aa851c158b9","order_by":1,"name":"Shasha Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Baoji University of Arts and 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Photocatalysis\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"CoTiO3/TiO2 composite, Photocatalytic Catalytic, Degradation performance, Catalytic activity","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8846608/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8846608/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe CoTiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e/TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e composite material with a special nanostructure was successfully prepared using layered hydrogen titanate (HTO) as the precursor. First, HTO was pretreated with hydrogen peroxide to obtain an H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e-HTO intermediate with an increased interlayer spacing. During this process, active peroxy groups were introduced into the layer plates, significantly enhancing the reaction activity of the material. Subsequently, the modified precursor was subjected to an ion-exchange reaction with (CH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003eCOO)\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eCo·4H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO solutions of different concentrations. This reaction successfully achieved the selective exchange of Co\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e for H\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e between the layers and the subsequent topotactic transformation, ultimately yielding a CoTiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e/TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e nanocomposite with a plate - like morphology. The analysis results from various characterization methods showed that HTO treated with H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e could effectively increase the interlayer spacing, creating favorable conditions for metal ion exchange and ultimately leading to the successful preparation of the CoTiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e/TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e composite. The study also found that the CoTiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e/TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e material prepared by the H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e exchange method still retained its original plate - like morphology. Using rhodamine B as the target degradation substance, the photocatalytic degradation performance of the CoTiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e/TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e composite was systematically studied, and its degradation conditions were optimized. The experimental results showed that the composite exhibited the best photocatalytic degradation effect under the following conditions: using sunlight as the visible light source, a dark adsorption time of 30 min, an illumination time of 30 min, a catalyst dosage of 25 mg, a molar ratio of CoTiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e to TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e of 8/2, and an initial concentration of the rhodamine B (RhB) solution of 20 mg･L\u003csup\u003e-\u003c/sup\u003e¹(volume of 50 mL). In addition, the study found that, under the catalytic action of the CoTiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e/TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e nanocomposite, combined with the synergistic effect of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and visible light(VIS), the degradation efficiency of RhB was significantly higher than that in the system using PMS alone. This was mainly due to the high - energy input of the visible light source, which could excite the generation of highly oxidizing active substances on the catalyst surface, thereby accelerating the degradation process. This result confirmed that the CoTiO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e/TiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e composite could effectively activate PMS and significantly improve the degradation efficiency. Meanwhile, the cyclic stability experiment showed that the catalyst had good reusability, providing an important basis for its application in the actual environment.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Synergistic Charge Separation in Engineered 2D CoTiO3/TiO2 Composites for Superior Photocatalysis","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-24 16:11:56","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8846608/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"66710f9e-ed35-4c8a-8a10-d64a83a55753","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 24th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-18T19:54:02+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-24 16:11:56","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8846608","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8846608","identity":"rs-8846608","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}