Remarkable photocatalytic performances towards pollutant degradation under sunlight and enhanced electrochemical properties of TiO2/polymer nanohybrids

In this work, TiO2-based nanocomposites containing polyaniline (PANI), poly(1-naphthylamine) (PNA), and polyindole (PIN) were synthesized by effective and simple routes and posteriorly employed as photocatalysts and supercapacitors. Characterization techniques such as XRD, FTIR, FESEM, UV, and PL were employed to investigate the structural, morphological, and optical properties of materials. XRD analysis confirmed the successful formation of TiO2 and TiO2/polymer nanocomposites. PANI, PNA, and PIN polymers were well distributed on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles and were investigated/explored from the FESEM analysis. The visible light absorption and the recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers were confirmed by the UV-Vis and PL analysis. The photocatalytic properties of the nanocomposites were investigated towards malachite green (MG) dye degradation under sunlight. The dye degradation efficiency followed the order TiO2/PNA >TiO2/PANI >TiO2 >TiO2/PIN. The higher efficiency of TiO2/PNA can be associated with its smaller bandgap energy compared to the other materials. Electrochemical properties of materials were also examined by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements using a three-electrode experiment setup in an aqueous electrolyte. TiO2/PNA nanocomposite showed higher supercapacitor behavior compared to the other materials due to higher electrical conductivity of PNA and redox potential of TiO2 (pseudocapacitance).

Automated summary

In this work, TiO2-based nanocomposites containing PANI, PNA, and PIN were synthesized and used as photocatalysts and supercapacitors. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the materials were investigated using various characterization techniques. The nanocomposites exhibited efficient photocatalytic properties for the degradation of malachite green dye, with TiO2/PNA showing the highest efficiency. TiO2/PNA also showed superior supercapacitor behavior due to its higher electrical conductivity and redox potential.