Titanate nanowire/NiO nanoflake core/shell heterostructured nanonanocomposite catalyst for methylene blue photodegradation

A core/shell heterostructured nanonanocomposite catalyst based on NiO nanoflakes and titanate nanowires (TNWs) was fabricated. The experimental results showed that the precursor concentration and the reaction time for NiO deposition played significant roles in determining the resulting heterostructure, and an optimal precursor's concentration would result in a well-defined core/shell heterostructure. The XRD analysis demonstrated the existence of the (1 1 1), (2 0 0) and (3 1 1) lattice planes of the NiO nanoflakes. Nearly 100% of the MB pollutant (10 mg L-1) was photodegradaded by the TNWs/NiO catalyst within 50 minutes under UV light irradiation.