Preparation of carbon-TiO sub(2) nanocomposites by a hydrothermal method and their enhanced photocatalytic activity

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 3; no. 46; pp. 24644 - 24649
• Main Authors: Zhang, Guozhi, Teng, Feng, Wang, Youqing, Zhang, Peng, Gong, Chengshi, Chen, Lulu, Zhao, Changhui, Xie, Erqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.11.2013
• Subjects: Absorption; Carbon; Nanocomposites; Photocatalysis; Rutile; Spectroscopy; Surface chemistry; Titanium dioxide
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/c3ra44950e

Carbon-TiO sub(2) nanocomposites were fabricated by a simple hydrothermal process, and the content of carbon in the composites was adjusted by etching in air at high temperature. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, Raman, UV-vis spectroscopy and PL spectroscopy. The nanocomposites, with an average size of 50 nm, are composed of well-defined crystallized TiO sub(2) with the amorphous carbon either on the surface or among particles. And the TiO sub(2) are the mixed phase system of both anatase and rutile. Measurements of the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B show that the photocatalytic activity of the carbon-TiO sub(2) nanocomposites, especially after annealed at 400 degree C, is higher than that of pure TiO sub(2). Experimental results indicate that the existence of the carbon enhances the photocatalytic activity of C-TiO sub(2) nanocomposites viathe synergistic effect between carbon and TiO sub(2), such as improving the adsorption, retarding the recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs and absorbing more light.