Preparation of a novel TiO2-based p-n junction nanotube photocatalyst

TiO2 nanotube semiconductors contain free spaces in their interior that can be filled with active materials such as chemical compounds, enzymes, and noble metals, giving them a fundamental advantage over colloids. Although the unique shape of semiconductor nanotubes makes them promising for a range of potential applications, significant developmental research is required. In this research, a novel TiO2 nanotube photocatalyst was prepared that has a p-n junction. The photocatalyst particle surface is physically divided into reduction and oxidation surfaces, which poses a potential driving force for the transport of photogenerated charge carriers. The structure of this nanotube catalyst was characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The catalyst activity was evaluated by coating the catalyst on HEPA filters and determining the destruction rate of toluene in air. The p-n junction nanotube catalyst was shown to have a much higher photocatalytic destruction rate than that of commercially available, nonnanotube structured material, and a higher destruction rate for nanotube catalysts that did not contain a p-n junction.