Issue 39, 2024

An attachable, self-healing and durable TiO2/rGO/PVA photocatalytic hydrogel band for dye degradation

Abstract

This work presents the fabrication of a photocatalytic hydrogel band through facile one-pot processes of mixing with TiO2 nanotubes (TiNT)/graphene oxide sheets (GO)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), in situ photoreduction of GO and freeze–thaw gelation. The interactions between TiNT/rGO/PVA make the constructed porous gel network possess good mechanical strength with flexibility and self-healing capability. The gelation matrix also allows the TiNT/rGO/PVA hydrogel band to easily adhere to various smooth surfaces. The structural and optical analysis of the TiNT/rGO/PVA hydrogel bands indicated that the binding of rGO on TiNT can boost the photocatalytic activity by accelerating charge separation and inhibiting charge recombination of TiO2. Due to the combined effects of enhanced activity, porous features to facilitate molecular diffusion, and improved mechanical strength, the TiNT/rGO/PVA hydrogel bands exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance for the decomposition of dyes with well-maintained activity without a loss after repeated usages. These results showed the potential of hydrogel-based photocatalytic systems for more convenient and reliable usages in environmental remediation.

Graphical abstract: An attachable, self-healing and durable TiO2/rGO/PVA photocatalytic hydrogel band for dye degradation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Jun 2024
Accepted
24 Aug 2024
First published
28 Aug 2024

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2024,12, 15946-15954

An attachable, self-healing and durable TiO2/rGO/PVA photocatalytic hydrogel band for dye degradation

F. Meng, W. Wang, Y. Zeng, Z. Gao, J. Li, H. Jia and Q. Ji, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2024, 12, 15946 DOI: 10.1039/D4TC02634A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements