Preparation and photocatalytic properties of silver nanoparticles loaded on CNTs/TiO2 composite

In this study, new nanoscale photocatalyst based on silver and CNTs/TiO2 was successfully prepared by photoreduction method. The prepared Ag-CNTs/TiO2 was characterized by TEM, XRD and XPS. The photocatalytic activity was also evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of Reactive Brilliant Red X-3B dye. The results indicated that the photocatalytic efficiency of CNTs/TiO2 increased in the presence of Ag nanoparticles and the photocatalysis reaction followed a first order kinetics. The kinetic constant of Ag-CNTs/TiO2 for dye degradation was nearly 1.2 times than that of CNTs/TiO2, which indicated decorating Ag nanoparticles on CNTs/TiO2 could enhance the photocatalytic ability.