Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) spectra were recorded
on a Bruker EQUINOX 55 FT-IR spectrometer using the KBr
pallet method. X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS)
measurements were done in a Thermo-VG Scientific ESCALB-
250 with AleKa radiation. A UV-2501 UVevisible spectrophotometer
(SHIMADZU, Japan) with an integrating sphere was
used to directly record diffuse reflectance spectra of the PFT/
TiO2 photocatalyst. Baseline correction was done using a calibrated
sample of BaSO4.
Determination of the point of zero charge (PZC) of PFT/TiO2
was carried out according to the salt titration (ST) method
(Tan et al., 2008). Initial pH values were plotted versus DpH to
determine the point where DpH ¼ 0.