TiO2@C core@shell nanocomposites: A single precursor synthesis of photocatalyst for efficient solar water treatment

Aditya Chauhan; Moolchand Sharma; Sandeep Kumar; Sundararajan Thirumalai; Ramachandran Vasant Kumar; Rahul Vaish

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120883

TiO₂@C core@shell nanocomposites: A single precursor synthesis of photocatalyst for efficient solar water treatment

J Hazard Mater. 2020 Jan 5:381:120883. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120883. Epub 2019 Jul 12.

Authors

Aditya Chauhan¹, Moolchand Sharma², Sandeep Kumar², Sundararajan Thirumalai³, Ramachandran Vasant Kumar³, Rahul Vaish²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK. Electronic address: ac923@cam.ac.uk.
² School of Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Mandi, 175 001, India.
³ Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FS, UK.

PMID: 31369935
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.120883

Abstract

This study reports the facile synthesis of highly photoactive TiO₂@C core@shell nanocomposites through a single alkoxide precursor. TiO₂ and carbon-based hybrid nanomaterials are popular photocatalysts owing to their abundance, low toxicity, and high stability, making them strong candidates for practical solar water-treatment applications. However, synthesis of such nanomaterials is often a multi-step process and requires careful control of the external carbon source for producing the desired morphology. In this regard, this study reports the synthesis of well-dispersed TiO₂@C nanocomposites without the need of an external carbon source. The resulting photocatalyst was employed for treatment of various water-borne pollutants including several dyes, pharmaceuticals, and pathogens. Rapid mineralization of pollutants could be achieved even with low amounts of catalyst, with the performance well exceeding that of pristine TiO₂ and P25 Degussa. Results indicate that incorporation of C increases visible-light absorption and greatly improves the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Given the facile synthesis and the wide scope of operation, the proposed catalyst could be a significant step towards practical photocatalytic solar water-treatment.

Keywords: Core-shell; Nanocomposites; Photocatalysis; TiO(2)@C; Water treatment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't