With different mass ratios, titanium dioxide/carbon nanotube (0.1-10 wt% CNT content) nanocomposites were prepared with the aid of ultrasonication method. The structures of the various TiO 2 /CNT nanocomposites were characterized by electron microscopy (scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy). Their photocatalytic activity was tested by the degradation of phenol in aqueous solution under near-UV irradiation. In parallel experiments, both (SW and MW) CNT samples were treated in a reflux system with nitric acid to functionalize the nanotubes, subsequently preparing the nanocomposites in the same method. At higher CNT concentration (5, 10 wt%) the nanocomposites exhibited lower photocatalytic activity compared to the samples with lower CNT concentration, probably because the higher CNT concentration reduces the light intensity on the surfaces of TiO 2 particles. Our aim was to find the best synthesis method and the optimal composition of the TiO 2 /CNT nanocomposites for the degradation of phenol under UV irradiation. The highest degradation rate was achieved with Aldrich anatase/functionalized single wall carbon nanotube nanocomposite (AA þ f-SW1 wt%). The photocatalytic activity of this sample was significantly higher compared to the bare Aldrich anatase and Aeroxide P25 titanium dioxide reference samples which were the best photocatalysts among the investigated bare titanias.

The photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 photocatalysts depends mainly on its crystal phase composition, primary particle size and specific surface area. Shape manipulation is an interesting way to increase the photocatalytic efficiency. The shape-tuning can be carried out at different levels, both at single crystal and polycrystalline agglomeration levels. The aim of our present study was to compare the structural and photocatalytic performances of two type/level of crystal organization of TiO 2 , namely single crystal shaping vs. polycrystalline/shape tailored agglomeration. The morphological analysis was achieved by XRD, SEM, TEM, Raman spectroscopy, DRS. The photocatalytic performance of the materials was evaluated by the degradation of a model pollutant (phenol). It was found, that both shape manipulating approaches bear the necessary potential which can be exploited in future development of efficient photocatalysts' synthesis procedures.

Water treatment method was developed for the removal of different anionic dyes such as methyl orange and indigo carmine, and also for thymol applying sodium bentonite and cationic surfactant - hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB) - or polyelectrolytes (polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride, poly-DADMAC and poly-amines). The removal efficiency of these model substrates was examined in model water using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, HPLC and TOC analysis. The clay mineral and HTAB were added in one step to the polluted model water in Jar-test experiments. The influence of the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the applied clay mineral and the presence of polyaluminium chloride coagulant (BOPAC) were also tested for the water treatment process. The structures of the in situ produced and pre-prepared organoclay composites were compared by XRD analysis. The rapid formation of organoclay adsorbents provided very efficient removal of the dyes (65-90 % in 3-10 mg/L TOC(0) range) with 200 mg/L sodium bentonite dose, however thymol was less efficiently separated. Adsorption efficiencies of the composites were compared at different levels of ion exchange such as at 40, 60 and 100 %. In the case of thymol, the elimination of inorganic carbon from the model water before the TOC analysis resulted in some loss of the analysed volatile compound therefore the HPLC analysis was found to be the most suitable tool for the evaluation of the process. This one-step adsorption method using in situ formed organoclay was better performing than the conventional process in which the montmorillonite-surfactant composite is pre-preapared and subsequently added to the polluted water. The purification performance of this method was also evaluated on raw and artificially polluted thermal wastewater samples containing added thymol.

One of the most fundamental aspects of the heterogeneous catalysis field is the manipulation of the catalysts' activity. In photocatalysis this is carried out by maximizing the right crystal plane of a semiconductor oxide. Until now, most of the papers have achieved this by a combination of different oxides, with noble metals and sometimes with carbon nanomaterials. In this work MWCNTs (multiwalled carbon nanotubes) were applied as "crystallization promoters" in a very simple, safe, one-step hydrothermal method. By this method TiO 2 nano/micro crystals with exposed {001} facets were obtained in the first step. The next episode in the crystal manipulation "saga" was the modification of the (001) crystallographic plane's structure by creating ordered/own faceted "crystallographic holes". These elements are capable of further enhancing the obtained activity of titania microcrystals to a higher extent, as shown by the UV driven photocatalytic phenol degradation experiments. The appearance of the holes was "provoked" by simple calcination and their presence and influence were demonstrated by XPS and HRTEM.

The TiO2 deposition on high surface possessing supports can increase the photocatalytic efficiency of a semiconductor, as already shown in the literature because, the high adsorption capacity of the support can help to enrich the organic substrate around the catalyst promoting the charge‐transfer process between the pollutants and the photocatalysts. Consequently, in this study, we investigated the synthesis of composite photocatalytic materials based on TiO2 and different types of carbon. Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) was used as the precursor, while graphite, activated carbon and carbon aerogels were chosen as carbon supports. An optimization of the synthesis method was proposed by varying the molar ratio titanium/carbon (Ti/C). The obtained materials were characterized by XRD, TEM, and UV–Vis DRS. The specific surface area, pore volume, and pore‐size distribution were evaluated by nitrogen adsorption/desorption. The photocatalytic activity was investigated by the photodegradation of diuron.