Anatase TiO2 nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes nanofibers: preparation, characterization and photocatalytic properties

Photocatalysis of sub-ppm limonene over multiwalled carbon nanotubes/titania composite nanofiber under visible-light irradiation

“…Previous studies [25,26] also reported the presence of these two peaks in the XRD image of non-carboxylated multi-walled CNT powders. In contrast, the MTCN revealed a distinct anatase property at 2Â = 25.3 • and another distinct rutile property at 2Â = 27.3 • , which were the same as the results of non-carboxylated multi-walled CNT-TiO 2 composite powders or nanofibers reported by other researchers [15,25,26]. Both the TN and P25 TiO 2 displayed an XRD image similar to that of the MTCN.…”

“…Unlike those of P25 TiO 2 (spherical shape) or multi-walled CNT (tube shape), the SEM and TEM photographs of the MTCN and TN displayed fiber structures, demonstrating that nanofibers were successfully formed by electrospinning. These nanofibers did not display any sphere or spindle structures, which are typically formed when polymer-based CNT/TiO 2 composite nanofibers are prepared using inappropriate polymer-to-solvent ratios [15]. These results indicate that the MTCN used in the present study was well prepared with an adequate PVP-to-solvent mixing ratio.…”

“…An MTCN was prepared by a sol-gel process with PVP as a base material, followed by an electrospinning technique [15]. For the sol-gel process, 1 g of MWNT (Carbon Nano Technology Co., Korea) was suspended in 60 mL of nitric acid solution (Sigma Aldrich Co., USA), and the mixture was sonicated for 0.5 h. After the solution was refluxed at 110 • C for 24 h, the product was filtered through a 0.20-millipore Teflon membrane filter under vacuum.…”

“…Previous studies have demonstrated the superior photocatalytic activity of multi-walled CNT/TiO 2 composite nanofibers (MTCNs) consisting of multiple rolled graphene cylinders compared to stand-alone TiO 2 for the decomposition of aqueous methyl orange or Rhodamine B dye under ultraviolet (UV) exposure [15][16][17]. However, the feasibility of a visible-light activated MTCN application for the photocatalytic decomposition of airborne VOCs is yet to be fully investigated.…”

Photocatalytic Carbon‐Nanotube–TiO2 Composites

“…A relatively new method of preparing such composites is the filter-mat or fiber-form via the electrospinning method. [25,30,39] Such methods produce mm to m long fibers with 40-100 nm in diameter. Typically, a fiber mat is formed, which is currently explored for a variety of catalytic applications.…”