Enhancement of Titania Photocatalytic Properties by Fabrication of MWCNT-TiO₂ Nanocomposites

Abstract

Multi-walled carbon nanotube and nanoTiO2 composite,(MWCNT)-TiO2,was synthesized via sol-gel deposition method. The product was characterized with FE-SEM and XRD analysis and the results were compared with nanotube TiO2 prepared by thermal treatment of the produced nanocomposite. Photocatalytic degradation of acetaldehyde, under UV and visible light irradiation, was performed in a continuos flow reactor equiped with 80W Hg lamp and the results were compared with commercial TiO2 powder (P25). Results showed considerable decrease in concentration of acetaldehyde fed into the reactor during a short time (70 min) for hybrid materials in comparison to nanotube TiO2. Furthemore, under visible light irradiation nanocomposite materials revealed good improvement in photocatalytic efficiency with respect to P25 powder.