Nanocelluloses, which can be derived from any cellulosic biomass, have emerged as appealing nanoscale scaffolds for a wide range of applications, while titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely used in some applications from paint pigments, photocatalysts, photovoltaics to electrical energy storage. In this study, nanosized TiO2 was prepared by thermal decomposition of titanium oxysulfate precursor in the presence of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). The resultant TiO2@CNC composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), solution small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and other supplemental methods. The TiO2 particles had size of 2 – 3 nm and was uniformly distributed on the CNC surface. The composite exhibited excellent performance for dye degradation (within 5 cycles) and antibacterial activity. We believe optimization on the nanostructure of this unique nanocomposite system will lead to better performance and novel applications in water treatments.

Nanosized titanium dioxide embedded in nanocellulose scaffold as photocatalyst for dye degradation and bacterial inactivation

256th National Meeting (2018)

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