Synthesis and characterization of polythiophene/titanium dioxide composites

Polythiophene/titanium dioxide (PT/TiO2) composites were prepared by the in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method. The resulting PT/TiO2 composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra measurements show that the PT/TiO2 composites can adsorb light of wavelengths ranging from 200 nm to 800 nm. The PT/TiO2 composites showed good adsorption properties and were more efficient in removing dye from solution than pure PT and pure TiO2. The PT/TiO2 composites exhibited photocatalytic activities to some extent under UV light illumination.