In situ synthesis and characterization of TiO2/HPM cellulose hybrid material for the photocatalytic degradation of 4-NP under visible light

Hybrid TiO2–hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (TiO2–HPMC) nanophotocatalysts were prepared by a simple in situ synthesis. The weight ratios of HPMC-to-TiO2 were 5, 10 and 20%, respectively. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, XPS, UV–vis DRS, ATG and BET surface area analysis. Surface morphology was assessed by the means of SEM. The photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in neutral aqueous solution under visible light irradiation was examined to evaluate the efficiency of the hybrids in comparison to pure TiO2. The results indicated that the in situ hybridization of TiO2 with HPMC significantly increases its specific surface area and extends its light absorption range to the visible region. Consequently, TiO2–HPMC nanocomposites were photocatalytically much more active than pure TiO2. Moreover, the TiO2–HPMC hybrids were found to be sufficiently photostable after five experimental runs.