2025-06-042025-06-042025-01Riedel, R., Schowarte, J., Semisch, L., González Castaño, M., Ivanova, S., Arellano-García, H. y Martienssen, M. (2025). Improving the photocatalytic degradation of EDTMP: Effect of doped NPs (Na, Y, and K) into the lattice of modified Au/TiO2 nano-catalysts. Chemical Engineering Journal, 506, 160109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.160109.1873-32121385-8947https://hdl.handle.net/11441/173936This study presents the photocatalytic degradation of the aminophosphonate ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP) with a range of different doped nanoparticles (NP). The photocatalysts were based on TiO2 benchmark P25 and gold (Au) doped either with sodium (Na), potassium (K) or yttrium (Y). The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized via TEM, XRF, XRD, UV-DRS (band gap estimation) and N2-physisorption. Photocatalytic pre-screening at pH values of 3, 7 and 10 indicated highest o-PO4 release of EDTMP at pH 7 and 10 for NP either doped with K or Y. The results of LC/MS analysis showed that the NPs doped with 5 % Y (Au2/Y5/P25) resulted in the fastest degradation of EDTMP. The target compound was completely degraded within 60 min, 4 times faster than photochemical treatment of unadulterated EDTMP. Importantly, also the transformation products were accelerated by the photocatalytic treatment with Au2/P25 either doped with 5 % Y or 10 % K. The results of scavenger experiments indicated that the enhanced photocatalytic degradation of EDTMP is primarily attributable to the presence of hydroxyl radicals in the bulk and to a lesser extent to •O2 − and electron-holes (h+) at the surface of the catalysts. The study demonstrates that the catalytic efficiency of TiO2 nanocomposites is significantly influenced by the choice of dopants, which affect particle size, band gap, and photocatalytic activity. Yttrium at low concentrations (i.e., 5 wt% Y) doping emerged as particularly effective, enhancing both the visible light absorption and h+ separation, leading to superior photocatalytic performance in the degradation of EDTMP. The Au content also plays a crucial role in enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency. However, the combination of Au and Na doping was found to be less effective for this photocatalysis in aqueous media, potentially due to larger particle sizes and insufficient dopant contents. In conclusion, the findings emphasise the necessity of optimising both the selection of dopants and the design of catalysts in order to enhance photocatalytic applications.application/pdf14engAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/EDTMPNanoparticlesPhosphonateTiO2Yttriuminfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.160109