Photo-Catalytic Properties of TiO2 Supported on MWCNTs, SBA-15 and Silica-Coated MWCNTs Nanocomposites

Mesoporous silica, specifically SBA-15, acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes and a hybrid nanocomposite of SBA-15 coated onto the sidewalls acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared and used as supports for anatase TiO 2 . Sol-gel methods were adapted for the synthesis of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanoscale research letters 2015-10, Vol.10 (1), p.427-427, Article 427
Main Authors: Ramoraswi, Nteseng O., Ndungu, Patrick G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemistry and Materials Science
Materials Science
Molecular Medicine
Nano Express
Nanochemistry
Nanoscale Science and Technology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology and Microengineering
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Summary:Mesoporous silica, specifically SBA-15, acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes and a hybrid nanocomposite of SBA-15 coated onto the sidewalls acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared and used as supports for anatase TiO 2 . Sol-gel methods were adapted for the synthesis of selected supports and for coating the materials with selected wt% loading of titania. Physical and chemical properties of the supports and catalyst composite materials were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The photo-activity of the catalyst composites were evaluated on the decolorisation of methylene blue as a model pollutant. Coating CNTs with SBA-15 improved the thermal stability and textural properties of the nanotubes. All supported titania composites had high surface areas (207–301 m 2 /g), altered band gap energies and reduced TiO 2 crystallite sizes. The TiO 2 /SBA-CNT composite showed enhanced photo-catalytic properties and activity than the TiO 2 /SBA-15 and TiO 2 /CNT composites. In addition, an interesting observation was noted with the TiO 2 /SBA-15 nanocomposites, which had a significantly greater photo-catalytic activity than the TiO 2 /CNT nanocomposites in spite of the high electron-hole recombination phenomena observed with the photoluminescence results. Discussions in terms of morphological, textural and physical-chemical aspects to account for the result are presented.
ISSN:1931-7573
1556-276X
DOI:10.1186/s11671-015-1137-3