Recyclable TiO2/carbon nanotube sponge nanocomposites: Controllable synthesis, characterization and enhanced visible light photocatalytic property

A new photocatalyst of TiO2/carbon nanotube sponge (CNT sponge) is prepared by a facile sol-gel method. XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-vis and Raman spectra are used to characterize the photocatalyst. The photocatalyst exhibits high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B dye under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity increases significantly with increasing carbon nanotube sponge content to some extent. The photocatalyst could be easily recycled and reused due to its bulk structure. The enhanced photocatalytic property is ascribed to high absorptivity of TiO2/CNT sponge and the suppressed recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.