TiO2 nanoparticle decorated carbon nanofibers for removal of organic dyes

Abstract To immobilize titania (TiO 2 ) in a matrix and improve the photocatalytic efficiency, TiO 2 nanoparticles decorated carbon nanofibers (TiO 2 -D-CNF) were prepared by ultra- sonication induced adsorption of TiO 2 nanoparticles onto the surface of electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers, followed by first heat treatment in air and then calcination in nitrogen. The interfacial collision under ultrasonication was responsible for uniform decoration of TiO 2 nanoparticles on polymer nanofibers. However, TiO 2 nanoparticles were mainly located inside the carbon nanofibers (TiO 2 -I-CNF) and only some aggregates were observed on the nanofiber surface if the nanofiber composite was obtained by electrospinning the mixed polymer solution containing the nanoparticles. It was found that TiO 2 -D-CNF possessed both higher dye adsoption capacity and photo- catalytic efficiecy than TiO 2 -I-CNF due to its hierachical microstructure. The exposure of TiO 2 nanoparticles on the CNF surface was beneficial for the adsorption of pollutant and thus photocatalytic performance.