Preparation of mesoporous TiO2/CNT nanocomposites by synthesis of mesoporous titania via EISA and their photocatalytic degradation under visible light irradiation

• High SSA, improved crystalline and stabilized mesoporous titania were synthesized.
• SWCNT incorporated mesoporous TiO2 catalyst has high surface area.
• Prepared nanocomposites are photocatalytically most active, than mesoporous TiO2.
• CNTs reduce the e−/h+ recombination rate under visible light and enhance photoactivity.

Stabilized mesoporous TiO2 was synthesized by evaporation induced self assembly (EISA) method and mechanically incorporated into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) with different ratios. The physicochemical properties of the nanocomposites (mesoporous TiO2/SWCNT) materials were investigated by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy measurements. The catalytic activity of mesoporous TiO2 and nanocomposites were assessed by examining the degradation of rhodamine B as model aqueous solution under visible light. CNTs are facilitating the photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO2 in the degradation of rhodamine B efficiently.

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