(467d) TiO2 Nanoparticles Wrapped with Short Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance
AIChE Annual Meeting
2020
2020 Virtual AIChE Annual Meeting
Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum
Carbon Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Functionalization, Assembly, and Applications II
Friday, November 20, 2020 - 8:30am to 8:45am
The interfacial contact between TiO2 and carbon-related structures is crucial in monitoring electron transfer rate and, in turn, the photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, we report a facile approach to wrap short single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on TiO2, with improved heterojunctions and delayed charge carrier recombination. Ultrasonication-assisted cutting was utilized to cut long SWCNTs (1 â 3µm in length) to short SWCNTs (50-400 nm in length). The short SWCNTs were wrapped on TiO2 nanoparticles (100 nm) via a hydration-condensation technique. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. In comparison to traditional TiO2-SWCNT composites, TiO2 wrapped by short-SWCNTs showed longer lifetimes of photogenerated electrons and holes, as well as a higher photocatalytic activity in gas-phase degradation of acetaldehyde. In addition, upon comparison with a TiO2-nanographene "quasi-core-shell" structure, TiO2-SWCNT structures offer better electron capturing efficiency and higher photocatalytic performance, revealing the impact of the dimensions of graphitic structures on the interfacial transfer of electrons and light penetration to TiO2. The engineering of TiO2-SWCNT structure is expected to benefit photocatalytic degradation of other volatile organic compounds, and may provide alternative pathways to further improve the efficiency of other carbon-based photocatalysts.