Preparation and characterization of polypyrrole/TiO₂ nanocomposite and its photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Abstract

A simple and convenient method for preparing visible light response photocatalyst polypyrrole/TiO 2 (PPy/TiO 2 ) nanocomposite was developed. The products were characterized by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet-visible, and Fourier transform infrared techniques. The results indicated that the nanohybrid was composed of anatase TiO 2 and PPy and exhibited an enhanced visible light-capturing ability. Average diameters of TiO 2 and PPy/TiO 2 were 18 and 35 nm, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite was evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation. In the presence of PPy/TiO 2 nanocomposite, the degradation efficiency of methyl orange of 95.54% could be obtained under visible light irradiation within 120 min. The apparent rate constant was 2.19 Â 10 À2 , which was better than that Degussa P25 nano-TiO 2 . The sensitization mechanism of PPy/TiO 2 photocatalyst was discussed briefly.

Preparation and characterization of polypyrrole/TiO2 nanocomposites by reverse microemulsion polymerization and its photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange under natural light

“…It can indicate that the polymerization of PPy can alleviate the aggregation of M‐TiO 2 nanoparticles. Compared with other reports , the PPy/TiO 2 possesses a better dispersity. It must be due to the modification of silane coupling agent and the merits of reverse microemulsion polymerization.…”

“…In the recent years, conductive polymers with conjugated double‐bond, has received much attention due to its metallic like conductivity. These conductive polymers possess a relatively narrow band gap and can enable an efficient separation of charge, which is important for photocatalytic application . Therefore, many researchers have focused on the preparation of TiO 2 /conductive polymer composites to overcome the shortcomings of TiO 2 .…”

Facile Synthesis of SrCO3-Sr(OH)2/PPy Nanocomposite with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under Visible Light

“…When visible light impinges on the composite surface, electrons are promoted from HOMO to LUMO of PPy (which has a reported band gap energy of 2.2 eV) [ 56 ], generating holes in the PPy chain (h+), electrons in the LUMO (−1.15 V versus NHE) [ 56 ], travel through PPy chains to conduction band (CB), (−0.23 V versus NHE) [ 57 ], of inorganic material, which can react with oxygen solved in the aqueous phase initiating photo-reduction. On the other hand, electrons in the valence band (VB) of inorganic material travels to h+ in the HOMO of PPy, generating a hole in the VB in the inorganic material.…”

Synthesis, characterization, and application of polypyrrole/TiO2 composites in photocatalytic processes: A review

“…The molecular structure and functional groups of the PPy/TiO 2 composites have been investigated using the FTIR technique. 28,42,46,57 The analysis of pure PPy conducted by Li et al 60 showed absorption bands characteristic of the polymer (Figure 7 (a)). The peaks at 3400, 1548, 1450, 1045 and 790 cm −1 correspond to N–H, C=C (in pyrrole ring), C–N, C–O–C, and C–C stretching vibrations, respectively.…”