Design and Application of Homogeneous-structured TiO2/Activated Carbon Nanocomposite for Adsorption-Photocatalytic Degradation of MO

The sol-gel method successfully prepared homogeneous-structured TiO2/activated carbon (TiO2/AC). This study highlights the effect of post-annealing temperature on the properties and photocatalytic activity of composite TiO2/AC to remove methyl orange (MO). The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement (BET), and thermogravimetric (TGA). The results confirmed that all prepared photocatalysts were TiO2 anatase. The removal of MO was obtained through a synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis. TiO2/AC-400 was the optimum photocatalyst to decompose MO up to 80% after 90 min under simulated UV irradiation. The remaining 1% AC after the annealing process at 500 degrees C had proved to be capable of decomposing MO mainly due to its serving as an electron trap. The potential photocatalyst formation and photocatalysis mechanism for TiO2/AC nanocomposite to support phenomena were proposed. The finding in this study provided important implications for further research on the preparation of composite TiO2 and carbon-based co-catalyst to enhance the adsorption-photocatalytic activity.

Automated summary

The study successfully prepared homogeneous-structured TiO2/activated carbon (TiO2/AC) and investigated the effect of post-annealing temperature on its properties and photocatalytic activity. Through the synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis, TiO2/AC-400 exhibited the best performance in decomposing MO.