TiO2-based materials have been widely studied as heterogeneous photocatalysts for environmental remediation of harmful organic pollutants. The photocatalysts used for these processes should be cheap, abundant and environmentally benign with the additional benefit of solar energy-induced activation. This work focuses on the design, synthesis and characterization of a new type of electrospun TiO2 nanomaterial with efficient electron-hole charge separation and high specific surface areas. The metal oxide is fabricated as an intricate fiber network by applying a sol-gel synthesis method, coupled with electrospinning to produce nanofibers of diameters between 150 � 200 nm. To allow for solar irradiation, the electronic, surface and crystalline structures of the TiO2 nanomaterial were modified by coating the TiO2 nanofibers with carbon during the thermal decomposition step of the sol-gel synthesis. These nanofibers were successfully applied to the photodegradation of various organic pollutants in the presence of visible light to photoinduce production of highly reactive radicals that resulted in the destruction of the pollutants. The carbon-coated TiO2 fibers exhibited superior surface and electronic properties compared to bare TiO2 nanofibers for the complete degradation of rhodamine B dye within 30 minutes reaction time.

Carbon-coated TiO<sub>2</sub> nanofibers for visible light-enhanced photodegradation of organic pollutants

243rd National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.

Carbon-coated TiO2 nanofibers for visible light-enhanced photodegradation of organic pollutants

Carbon-coated TiO₂ nanofibers for visible light-enhanced photodegradation of organic pollutants