Nanostructured BN–TiO2 composite with ultra-high photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Boron nitride and titanium oxide composite (BN–TiO₂) photocatalyst endowed with high specific surface area and large pore size was synthesized by ice bath method. These large pore sizes in the materials (pore diameter 43.88 Å) were conducive to the movement of larger molecules or groups in the pore path and for effective use of active sites. The high specific surface area (BET, 103.66 m² g⁻¹) was beneficial for catalytic oxidation on the surface. In BN–TiO₂ composite, the presence of B–O–Ti–O contributed to the pore structure optimization and higher photocatalytic activity with a narrow band gap (2.91 eV). The methylene blue photodegradation rate of BN–TiO₂ is 79% in 200 min, higher than that with TiO₂ only (32%) in the visible region. This study reports the synthesis of BN–TiO₂ photocatalysts with high surface area, large pore size, good photocatalytic performance and reusability. BN–TiO₂ has potential applications in practical environmental purification.