Abstract
TiO 2 /carbon composites have been well studied as solar-light photocatalysts because they combine the advantages of TiO 2 (good photocatalytic activity) and carbon (enhanced charge carrier separation). Mesoporous TiO 2 aerogels are fragile by nature and the addition of free-standing three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon foam (CF) not only makes it easy for separation and collection after photocatalytic treatment but also acts as a scaffold for the long-term application of TiO 2 aerogels in the photocatalysis. Hence, recent reports have shown that mesoporous TiO 2 aerogel/CF composites synthesized by the carbonization of a polymer followed by using the sol-gel method are significant for use in photocatalysis applications. In addition, the 3D macroporous CF not only acts as a support for TiO 2 aerogels but also improves the efficiency of light use and extends the photoresponse of TiO 2 to the visible region. The TiO 2 aerogel was homogeneously distributed onto the 3D CF because of the vacuum infiltration used during the synthesis of the composites. The simulated solar-light irradiated photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B organic pollutant was used to evaluate the TiO 2 aerogel/CF composite catalysts, which was higher than with a pristine TiO 2 aerogel. This facile synthesis approach for 3D foam type TiO 2 /carbon composites could be useful in the treatment of wastewater.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 424-433 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Molecular Liquids |
Volume | 277 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2019 Mar 1 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the Samsung Research Funding & Incubation Center of Samsung Electronics under Project Number SRFC-TA1703-04 . The author, V.G. Parale, would like to thank the Brain Korea 21 (BK21) Project for financial support in the form of a Research Professor.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Spectroscopy
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Materials Chemistry