Electrospinning Directly Synthesized Porous TiO₂ Nanofibers Modified by Graphitic Carbon Nitride Sheets for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation Activity under Solar Light Irradiation

Abstract

We report a direct approach to the fabrication of a composite made of porous TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) sheets, by means of an angled two-nozzle electrospinning combined with calcination process. Different wt % amounts of g-C3N4 particles in a polymer solution from one nozzle and TiO2 precursors containing the same polymer solution from another nozzle were electrospun and deposited on the collector. Structural characterizations confirm a well-defined morphology of the TiO2/g-C3N4 composite in which the TiO2 NFs are uniformly attached on the g-C3N4 sheet. This proper attachment of TiO2 NFs on the g-C3N4 sheets occurred during calcination. The prepared composites showed the enhanced photocatalytic activity over the photodegradation of rhodamine B and reactive black 5 under natural sunlight. Here, the synergistic effect between the g-C3N4 sheets and the TiO2 NFs having anisotropic properties enhanced the photogenerated electron-hole pair separation and migration, which was confirmed by the measurement of photoluminescence spectra, cyclic voltammograms, and electrochemical impedance spectra. The direct synthesis approach that is established here for such kinds of sheetlike structure and porous NFs composites could provide new insights for the design of high-performance energy conversion catalysts.

Electrospinning Preparation of Nanostructured g-C3N4/BiVO4 Composite Films with an Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance

“…[20][21][22][23][24] The construction of heterojunctions by coupling of different semiconductors could not only enhance the utilization of sunlight, but also could create sufficient built-in potentials, which is beneficial for the separation of electronhole pairs for redox reactions. [25][26][27][28] The modification of BiVO 4 with g-C 3 N 4 has been reported, and the catalytic performance are improved compared with individual BiVO 4 .…”

Rationally Designed Double‐Shell Dodecahedral Microreactors with Efficient Photoelectron Transfer: N‐Doped‐C‐Encapsulated Ultrafine In2O3 Nanoparticles

“…Combining carbon materials with photocatalysts has been considered as an effective approach to improve the separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs,d ue to the low cost and high electrical conductivity of carbon. [18][19][20][21][22][23] Recent studies have indicated that partial substitution of carbon atoms by nitrogen atoms having electron lone pairs could significantly enhance the separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs by supplying additional negative chargei nt he carbon network. [24,25] However, uniformly coating N-doped Cl ayerso nh ollow micro-/nanoreactors to enhancet heir photocatalytic performance presentsaconsiderable challenge.…”

Enhanced Performance of Electrospun Nanofibrous TiO2/g-C3N4 Photocatalyst in Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

“…There are previous works about the fabrication of composite TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 fibers with electrospinning technique, following different experimental approaches (polymers, solvents, electrospinning parameters, light sources) and different g-C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 ratios [15,[17][18][19]. Comparing with the previous studies, the present work deals with: (a) The synthesis of g-C 3 N 4 /TiO 2 fibers with different ratios (up to 5 wt%) of g-C 3 N 4 and process conditions using PVP polymer, (b) all the reagents and precursors participated simultaneously to one-step electrospinning process, (c) a combination of solid-state and liquid phase characterization and analysis techniques for studying the catalysts properties and their photocatalytic performance.…”