Synthesis of Ag–Carbon–TiO2 composite tubes and their antibacterial and organic degradation properties

Ag–Carbon–TiO2 composite tubes were prepared by using polystyrene/AgNO3 composite fibers as a sacrifice template and a co-pyrolysis process. The Ag–Carbon–TiO2 tubes were characterized by SEM, TEM, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectrum, XPS, and UV–vis spectrum. The results showed that the Ag–Carbon–TiO2 tubes possessed uniform tubular structure with amorphous carbon, graphitic carbon, and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) distributing uniformly in TiO2. The Ag–Carbon–TiO2 tubes were confirmed high UV–vis light utilization and photocatalytic degradation efficiency to Rhodamine B due to the carbon doping, the surface plasmon resonance of AgNPs and the tubular structure, and the degradation of Rhodamine B reached 90% in 6 h. Meanwhile, they showed an excellent antibacterial effect on staphylococcus aureus, and the fatality rate of Ag–Carbon–TiO2 tubes to staphylococcus aureus reached 99.9% in 24 h when its concentration was higher than 4 mg/ml. The co-pyrolysis process could repress the AgNPs to grow to be large particles, which could be a key for the excellent antibacterial property. The research showed a promising strategy for preparing Ag–Carbon–TiO2 composite tubes by co-pyrolysis of PS composite electrospinning fibers, indicating their potential application in wastewater treatment and antibacterial materials.