Abstract
The development of nanocomposite photocatalysts with high photocatalytic activity, cost-effectiveness, a simple preparation process, and scalability for practical applications is of great interest. In this study, nanocomposites of TiO(2) Degussa P25 nanoparticles/activated carbon (TiO(2)/AC) were prepared at various mass ratios of (4:1), (3:2), (2:3), and (1:4) by a facile process involving manual mechanical pounding, ultrasonic-assisted mixing in an ethanol solution, paper filtration, and mild thermal annealing. The characterization methods included XRD, SEM-EDS, Raman, FTIR, XPS, and UV-Vis spectroscopies. The effects of TiO(2)/AC mass ratios on the structural, morphological, and photocatalytic properties were systematically studied in comparison with bare TiO(2) and bare AC. TiO(2) nanoparticles exhibited dominant anatase and minor rutile phases and a crystallite size of approximately 21 nm, while AC had XRD peaks of graphite and carbon and a crystallite size of 49 nm. The composites exhibited tight decoration of TiO(2) nanoparticles on micron-/submicron AC particles, and uniform TiO(2)/AC composites were obtained, as evidenced by the uniform distribution of Ti, O, and C in an EDS mapping. Moreover, Raman spectra show the typical vibration modes of anatase TiO(2) (e.g., E(1g)((1)), B(1g)((1)), E(g)((3))) and carbon materials with D and G bands. The TiO(2)/AC with (4:1), (3:2), and (2:3) possessed higher reaction rate constants (k) in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) than that of either TiO(2) or AC. Among the investigated materials, TiO(2)/AC = 4:1 achieved the highest photocatalytic activity with a high k of 55.2 × 10(-3) min(-1) and an MB removal efficiency of 96.6% after 30 min of treatment under UV-Vis irradiation (120 mW/cm(2)). The enhanced photocatalytic activity for TiO(2)/AC is due to the synergistic effect of the high adsorption capability of AC and the high photocatalytic activity of TiO(2). Furthermore, TiO(2)/AC promotes the separation of photoexcited electron/hole (e(-)/h(+)) pairs to reduce their recombination rate and thus enhance photocatalytic activity. The optimal TiO(2)/AC composite with a mass ratio of 4/1 is suggested for treating industrial or household wastewater with organic pollutants.