Decorated titania fibers as photocatalysts for hydrogen generation and organic matter degradation

Mapukata, Sivuyisiwe; Hainer, Andrew S.; Lanterna, Anabel E.; Scaiano, Juan C.; Nyokong, Tebello

Abstract

Heterogenous photocatalysts based on electrospun fibers composed of polyvinylpyrrolidone and titanium propoxide were prepared and heated at 500, 750 and 950 °C to obtain anatase and rutile fibers. The fibers were then decorated with Pd and Co nanoparticles as well as a symmetrical zinc phthalocyanine (Pc). The fibrous materials obtained have a paper-like macroscopic appearance allowing for easy handling and separation. The photocatalytic activities of the new materials were evaluated for the generation of H2 upon UV (368 nm) or visible (630 nm) light excitation. Depending on the heat treatment or the post-synthetic decoration method, the materials show higher, or similar, activity compared to P25-TiO2, with superior ease of separation. The catalysts showed ability to degrade organic matter, with MeOH used as a model compound. This is of considerable importance for potential water treatment applications that will require flow-compatible materials.

Citation

Mapukata, S., Hainer, A. S., Lanterna, A. E., Scaiano, J. C., & Nyokong, T. (2020). Decorated titania fibers as photocatalysts for hydrogen generation and organic matter degradation. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 388, Article 112185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2019.112185

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 20, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Oct 24, 2019
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Deposit Date: Jun 22, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 23, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry
• Print ISSN: 1010-6030
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 388
• Article Number: 112185
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2019.112185
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4702127
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1010603019314601?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Decorated titania fibers as photocatalysts for hydrogen generation and organic matter degradation; Journal Title: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2019.112185; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.