Preparation of mesoporous TiO2/CNT nanocomposites by synthesis of mesoporous titania via EISA and their photocatalytic degradation under visible light irradiation

Stabilized mesoporous TiO2 was synthesized by evaporation induced self assembly (EISA) method and mechanically incorporated into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) with different ratios. The physicochemical properties of the nanocomposites (mesoporous TiO2/SWCNT) materials were investigated by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy measurements. The catalytic activity of mesoporous TiO2 and nanocomposites were assessed by examining the degradation of rhodamine B as model aqueous solution under visible light. CNTs are facilitating the photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO2 in the degradation of rhodamine B efficiently. (C) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.