TiO2-activated carbon photocatalysts: Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activities

In this work, the effect of activated carbon (AC) on the structural properties and photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide was investigated. For this purpose, TiO2-AC catalysts were prepared with varying weight percentages of AC and by (hydrothermal and reflux methods). The physicochemical properties of the prepared catalysts, including crystallinity, particle size, thermal behavior, surface morphology, specific surface area and pore volume of the photocatalysts were investigated by relevant techniques. It was observed that all catalysts consisted dominantly of anatase crystalline phase. Inclusion of AC into the catalysts in the varying proportions lead to increases both in the specific surface area and the particle size of the catalysts with a magnitude depending on the AC content and the method of the preparation. While all samples synthesized by the hydrothermal method were composed of entirely mesoporous structures, the samples with high AC content in the reflux series displayed microporosity together with decreased mesoporosity. The synthesized catalysts were tested in UV-assisted degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous medium. The results demonstrated that the reflux method can be effective method for preparing the photocatalytic TiO2-AC materials that have a high photocatalytic activity for RhB removal. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.