Insights into Biodegradable Polymer-Supported Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation

Abstract

During the past two decades, immobilization of titanium dioxide (TiO2), a well-known photocatalyst, on several polymeric substrates has extensively gained ground since it limits the need of post-treatment separation stages. Taking into account the numerous substrates tested for supporting TiO2 photocatalysts, the use of biodegradable polymer seems a hopeful option owing to its considerable merits, including the flexible nature, low price, chemical inertness, mechanical stability and wide feasibility. The present review places its emphasis on recently published research articles (2011–2021) and exhibits the most innovative studies facilitating the eco-friendly biodegradable polymers to fabricate polymer-based photocatalysts, while the preparation details, photocatalytic performance and reuse of the TiO2/polymer photocatalysts is also debated. The biodegradable polymers examined herein comprise of chitosan (CS), cellulose, alginate, starch, poly(lactid acid) (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), while an emphasis on the synthetical pathway (dip-coating, electrospinning, etc.) of the photocatalysts is provided.

Supported nanostructured photocatalysts: the role of support-photocatalyst interactions

“…Polymers constitute one of the most versatile classes of functional materials because of their adjustable physicochemical, mechanical, textural, and electronic properties, which can be easily tailored by varying the polymer chemical composition and its structural units through various synthetic strategies developed in the field of polymer chemistry. Such versatility considerably broadens the applicability of polymer supported-photocatalysts, which can be engineered in different morphologies suitable for practical applications, including foams, aerogels, beads, films, 3D-printed scaffolds, and nanostructured membranes [157][158][159]. Photocatalytic membrane technology is an innovative approach that combines membrane water treatment with heterogenous photocatalysis, a process that allies continuous-flow filtrating capacity of polymer membranes with improved contaminant removal performance of the immobilized photocatalyst particles.…”

“…Photocatalytic membrane technology is an innovative approach that combines membrane water treatment with heterogenous photocatalysis, a process that allies continuous-flow filtrating capacity of polymer membranes with improved contaminant removal performance of the immobilized photocatalyst particles. Notably, such a combination effectively addresses and overcomes the bottle-neck issue of (photo)catalyst recovery of conventional particle-based photocatalytic treatment [157,[160][161][162]. Among the traditional synthetic materials employed to fabricate polymeric membranes, one can highlight polyethersulfone (PES), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polypropylene (PP), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) [159].…”

Design of halloysite-based nanocomposites by electrospinning for water treatment

“…21 In practice, titanium oxide (TiO2), especially in the form of anatase, is considered the most promising semiconductor oxide on the basis of its good activity, and stability and low cost 22,23 . However, TiO2 absorbs only a small fraction (3% -5%) of sunlight (UV radiation) due to the anatase large band gap 24,25 . Other disadvantages are the poor TiO2 recovery after water treatment and the fast recombination of the photogenerated charges.…”

Cu(II)/Guanidine Functionalized Disiloxane Complex of Supramolecular Structures for Visible Light-Driven Photocatalysis of Congo Red

“…The photodegradation of dyes in the presence of a UV and/or visible photoactive catalyst is one of the currently investigated techniques. Nowadays, researchers worldwide are fully focused on the use of heterogeneous photocatalysis for environmental remediation and wastewater treatment [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Usually, in heterogeneous photocatalytic processes, photon energy is used by a solid catalyst and converted into chemical energy, being really effective in the degradation of a wide range of organic contaminants.…”