Low Temperature Fabrication & Photocatalytical Activity of Carbon Fiber-supported TiO2 with Different Phase Compositions

Crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles with different phase compositions were fabricated on carbon fibers. The fabrication is achieved at low temperature. The process includes the treatment of Ti(OH)4 with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of carbon fibers. Neither additional acids nor bases, or additives are used during the process. Carbon fibers prior to and after TiO2 loading are characterized by FE-SEM, XRD, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was assessed via photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange solution, and found to be phase composition-dependent & pH dependent. Carbon fibers loaded with mixed-phase TiO2 led to the best photocatalytic performance. HRTEM reveals the anatase/rutile heterojunction which helps explain the high efficiency of photocatalysis. They have been demonstrated to be re-usable in the continuous photocatalytic degradation process.