Synthesis of Mn-doped and anatase/rutile mixed-phase TiO2 nanofibers for high photoactivity performance

Abstract

In this experiment, Mn@TiO₂ nanofibers in the form of membranes were fabricated by ordinary electrospinning and a higher temperature calcination process. Field-emission scanning, X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectra, UV-visible diffuse spectra, UV-visible spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) evaluation were used to characterize the resulting samples. The study revealed that, upon the addition of the manganese ion, the continuous and mechanical properties of the nanofibers and nanofilms were substantially enhanced. Notably, after 60 minutes, the Mn@TiO₂-0.10 degradation efficiency reached 94.92% under ultraviolet light, which was 5 times greater than that for TiO₂ nanofibers. It was due to the controlled mixture phase and palpable raised specific surface area, which ensured a pronounced enhanced photocatalytic activity of the nanofibers. In addition, the application of nanofibers on the capacitor aspect was explored by electrochemical workstations. The highest photoactivity sample performed mass-specific capacity as high as 5.09 F g⁻¹. Such efficient capacity and higher photoactivity of the photocatalyst shed light on the preparation of soft inorganic materials and their application in energy conversion.