Preparation of TiO<sub>2</sub>/WO<sub>3</sub>/C/N Composite Nanofibers by Electrospinning Using Precursors Soluble in Water and Their Photocatalytic Activity in Visible Light
oleh: Vincent Otieno Odhiambo, Chra Rasool M. Mustafa, Le Ba Thong, Zoltán Kónya, Csaba Cserháti, Zoltán Erdélyi, István Endre Lukác, Imre Miklós Szilágyi
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2021-02-01 |
Deskripsi
Extending the absorption range of TiO<sub>2</sub> nanofibers to visible light is a great improvement of the photocatalytic property of TiO<sub>2</sub>. In this study, TiO<sub>2</sub>/WO<sub>3</sub>/C/N nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning using precursors soluble in water then annealing in argon. Titanium(IV) bis(ammonium lactato)dihydroxide (TiBALDH) and ammonium metatungstate (AMT) were used as the precursor for TiO<sub>2</sub> and WO<sub>3</sub> respectively. Different volume ratios of the precursors were added to a solution of PVP before electrospinning. The fibers were studied by XPS, SEM-EDX, TEM, FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy and UV–VIS diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by the fibers in visible light was investigated. The fibers had anatase TiO<sub>2</sub> and monoclinic WO<sub>3</sub>. Based on UV–VIS DRS and Kubelka-Munk function the fibers could absorb visible light. Moreover, 100% TiBALDH had an indirect band gap of 2.9 eV, and the band gap decreased with increase in AMT, i.e., for 0% TiBALDH, band gap was 2.4 eV. The fibers degraded methylene blue dye in visible light, and 90% TiBALDH had the highest photocatalytic activity, i.e., it degraded 40% of the dye after 240 min.