Facile preparation of C-modified TiO2 supported on MCF for high visible-light-driven photocatalysis

Abstract

A green and facile approach is employed to prepare an efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst by using mesocellular foams (MCF) as a matrix, glucose as a carbon-modified source and TiO₂ as the catalytic active site, which is denoted as C-modified TiO₂/MCF. Characterization results reveal that nano-sized TiO₂ nanoparticles are loaded in the pore channels of MCF rather than being aggregated on the surface of the MCF. Furthermore, glucose selectively covers the surface of the TiO₂/MCF composites during the stirring process due to the excellent adsorption capacity of MCF, and glucose then can be transformed into coke carbon through a hydrothermal process. In addition, a facile thermal treatment is adopted to enhance the visible light photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂/MCF composites. It is believed that the post-thermal treatment plays a significant role in controlling the carbon diffusion from the surface to the bulk of TiO₂. Compared to traditional C-TiO₂ photocatalysts, the prepared C-doped catalyst exhibits stable carbon doping of TiO₂, superior adsorption capacity and higher visible light photocatalytic activity owing to the special structure of the supported mesoporous catalyst. This study implies that the novel photocatalyst has good application prospects in photocatalytic water splitting, dye-sensitized solar cells and other fields.