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Published on: July 4, 2017
Carbon-modified TiO2 for photocatalysis
Malgorzata Wojtoniszak1, Diana Dolat, Antoni Morawski
1Institute of Chemical and Environment Engineering, Westpomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Pulaskiego 10, Szczecin, 70-322, Poland. emijowska@zut.edu.pl.
Nanoscale Research Letters
|April 28, 2012
Summary
This study developed carbon-coated titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocrystals using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The resulting nanocomposites showed enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light, particularly with shorter deposition times and higher temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Photocatalysis
Background:
- Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a widely used photocatalyst, but its efficiency is limited under visible light.
- Developing methods to enhance TiO2's visible light response is crucial for practical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize carbon-coated TiO2 nanocrystals using chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
- To investigate the effect of CVD parameters (temperature and time) on the properties and photocatalytic activity of the resulting nanocomposites.
- To evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the carbon-coated TiO2 under visible and UV-vis light irradiation for phenol decomposition.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals coated with graphitic carbon via CVD using acetylene.
- Systematic variation of reaction temperatures (400°C, 500°C) and times (10, 20, 60 s).
- Characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FTIR/DRS, and UV-vis/DRS.
- Photocatalytic activity testing via phenol decomposition under visible and UV-vis light.
Main Results:
- Carbon coating significantly enhanced TiO2 photocatalytic activity under visible light while decreasing it under UV-vis light.
- Shorter CVD reaction times and higher process temperatures led to superior photocatalytic performance under visible light.
- Characterization confirmed the formation of graphitic carbon layers on TiO2 nanocrystals.
Conclusions:
- CVD-synthesized graphitic carbon-coated TiO2 exhibits improved photocatalytic efficiency under visible light.
- Optimizing CVD parameters, specifically shorter reaction times and higher temperatures, is key to maximizing visible light photocatalytic activity.
- This carbon-modified TiO2 presents a promising material for visible-light-driven environmental remediation applications.
