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  • Accepted Manuscript: Hydrothermal synthesis of carbon nanotube–titania composites for enhanced photocatalytic performance
Title: Hydrothermal synthesis of carbon nanotube–titania composites for enhanced photocatalytic performance
Nanosized, well-dispersed titania particles were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as structural modifiers during the nucleation process to decrease aggregation. Synthesized TiO 2 /MWCNT composites containing different amounts of MWCNTs were characterized using N 2 physisorption, XRD, spectroscopic techniques (Raman, UV-visible, and X-ray photoelectron), and electron microscopy to illuminate the morphology, crystal structure, and surface chemistry of the composites. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated by measuring the degradation of acetaldehyde in a batch reactor under UV illumination. Average rate constants decrease in the following order: TiO 2 /MWCNT-1% > TiO 2 > TiO 2 /MWCNT-5%. Addition of MWCNTs beyond the optimum loading ratio of 1:100 (MWCNT:TiO 2 ) diminishes the effectiveness of the photocatalyst and the synergistic effect between MWCNTs and TiO 2 . The primary mechanism for photocatalytic activity enhancement in TiO 2 /MWCNT-1% is thought to be due to increased porosity, hydroxyl enrichment on the surface, and high dispersion of TiO 2 particles.
Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ;
Award ID(s):
1653527
Publication Date:
NSF-PAR ID:
10211242
Journal Name:
Journal of Materials Research
Volume:
35
Issue:
11
Page Range or eLocation-ID:
1451 to 1460
ISSN:
0884-2914
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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