Potassium and iodide codoped mesoporous titanium dioxide for enhancing photocatalytic degradation of phenolic compounds

Highlights: • K and I codoped TiO₂ was innovatively prepared by improved sol–gel method. • The addition of KI greatly increased the specific surface area of the catalyst. • The synergistic effect of K and I enhanced the light absorption and utilization. • As-prepared K-I-TiO₂ catalyst showed excellent photocatalytic activity and stability. Potassium and iodide codoped mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO₂) was synthesized via an improved sol–gel method using F127 and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as pore-forming agents. Due to the synergistic effect of codoped K and I, the light absorption of the catalyst is enhanced, and the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge is improved. KI doping also increases the specific surface area, improves the adsorption capacity of TiO₂ to pollutants, and promotes active site exposure for organic pollutant degradation. The synthesized potassium and iodide codoped titanium dioxide shows excellent photocatalytic activity and stability under simulated sunlight and exhibits perfect acid and alkali resistance.