Electrospun mesoporous W6+-doped TiO2 thin films for efficient visible-light photocatalysis

Mesoporous W6+-doped TiO2 thin films photocatalysts were prepared via electrospinning and sol-gel chemistry, employing a triblock copolymer as structure-directing agent, and were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD as well as N-2 adsoption/desorption isotherm. The photocatalytic activity of the films was investigated by employing the methylene blue (MB) as probe. In this study, 3% was the most suitable content of W6+ in TiO2, at which the recombination of photoinduced electrons and holes could be effectively inhibited. In the mean time, making the photocatalysts at nanoscale and with mesopores in the films could produce more reactive sites to adsorbe and oxidize pollutants. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.