Titanium dioxide (TiO2), a semiconductor, has been extensively used as a photocatalyst and has been shown to have great potential for use in water treatment due to its high activity, stability and low cost. The use of carbon nanomaterials to enhance the activity of TiO2 photocatalysts has received recent attention and improved performance has been demonstrated in composite systems using carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide, and activated carbon. The following work investigates the catalytic performance of TiO2 / nanocarbon films formed using layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition. Composite films were formed on quartz surfaces using a simple dip-coating technique using highly functionalized carbon nanoparticles derived from glycerol and Degussa P25 titanium dioxide. This technique allows for the immobilization of carbon and TiO2 nanoparticles, both of which are now easily accessible to contaminants. Composite films were analyzed to determine surface microstructure, growth, and stability using UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Film growth was found to be linear with the number of bi-layers deposited and the material showed good catalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue at 365nm. Photocatalytic activity as a function of layer composite thickness and the light wavelength was also investigated. The Carbon / TiO2 LbL system was used to test the photo-degradation of various organic compounds and the reusability of the films was demonstrated.

Photo-degradation of organic contaminants using a novel nano-carbon / TiO2 layer-by-layer composite

2019 Spring National Meeting

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