In-situ synthesis of mixed phase electrospun TiO2 nanofibers: a novel visible light photocatalyst

Abstract

TiO 2 nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning method using mixed titanum isopropoxide and polyvinylpyrrolidone precursors in ethanol followed by calcination at high temperature. The obtained TiO 2 e-spun nanofibers were characterized by FESEM, TEM, XRD, XPS and BET surface area analytical techniques. XRD result shows that the nanofibers contain both anatase and rutile mixed phases. FESEM and TEM study indicates the development of precise fine tiny nanoparticles with diameter in the range of 10-20 nm, which are oriented along one dimensional direction to form the fibrous structure with diameter in the range of 300-500 nm. The mixed phase TiO 2 nanofibers were used as photocatalysts for degradation of Rhodamine-B and Methyl orange under solar light irradiation and also under visible light irradiation. More than 99% degradation was achieved within 90 min of irradiation time for both the dyes. Furthermore, it is observed that the TiO 2 photocatalyst is efficiently degrading (98%) the tetracycline hydrochloride solution within 70 min of contact time. The excellent visible light photocatalytic activity may be attributed to the combine factors of hetero-conjunction at anatase-rutile interface and immediate charge transfer due to 1D structure, which inhibit the electron-hole recombination. Graphical abstract Rutile-Anatase dual phase TiO2 nanofibers exhibit excellent visible light photocatalytic activity due to the combine factors of hetero-conjunction at anatase-rutile interface and immediate charge transfer due to 1D structure, which inhibits the electron-hole recombination.

Design of halloysite-based nanocomposites by electrospinning for water treatment

“…3.h) Al-K and Si-K were inside the hollow nanofibers. These results strongly indicate HNT penetration inside the TiO2 nanofibers 45,70,71 . XPS was carried out to determine the surface structure and chemical state of each element.…”

“…In H95T5, Ti 2p1/2 slightly shifted toward lower binding energy (-0.4 eV) due to HNT presence 73 . In the O 1s region of H95T5, the binding energy value at 529.7 eV corresponded to the typical Ti-O-Ti peak 71 . The other peak at 531.1 eV was ascribed to O-Si shifting toward lower binding energy (-0.2 eV), compared with HNT, due to TiO2 incorporation 73 .…”

Fabrication of Binder‐Free TiO2 Nanofibers@Carbon Cloth for Flexible and Ultra‐Stable Supercapacitor for Wearable Electronics

“…[14] The XRD pattern of the sintered TiO 2 NFs in Figure 2c displays the major diffraction peak with hkl value (101) at 2θ ≈ 25.2°, and further confirms the anatase phase (92%) and rutile phase (8%) presented in the material (as per the JCPDS #73-1764 and JCPDS #73-1765, respectively). [14,19,20] The XRD patterns of MWCNT before and after purification are displayed in Figure S1 (Supporting Information). Further, the XPS survey spectra of TiO 2 NFs in Figure 2d display the presence of Ti, C, and O elements and verify the purity of the material.…”

Review of the recent advances on the fabrication, modification and application of electrospun TiO2 and ZnO nanofibers for the treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater

“…Dhal et al fabricated TiO 2 nanofibers with mixed phases (anatase and rutile) which were efficiently applied in the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride among other contaminants. The excellent photocatalytic activity of the nanofibers was attributed to the heterojunction at anatase-rutile interface and immediate charge transfer due to 1D structure, which inhibit the electron-hole recombination (Dhal et al, 2019). Moreover, Lin et al supported TiO 2 nanofibers onto boron-nitride sheets and applied them in the photocatalytic destruction of ibuprofen; a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug.…”