Preparation and characterization of high-surface-area TiO2/activated carbon by low-temperature impregnation

A new method, low-temperature impregnation, was developed to prepare hybrid photocatalyst: TiO2 coated activated carbon (TiO2/AC). The hybrid photocatalyst included 7.7 wt% TiO2 with anatase phase. Its specific surface area was 1483 m2/g, and the bandgap of the TiO2 in the TiO2/AC was about 3.23 eV. The hybrid photocatalyst showed high photocatalytic performance evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue. The photodegradation process was discussed in terms of absorption of methylene blue molecules by the nanopores, transportation of methylene blue molecules to active sites, and then photodegradation with TiO2. The low-temperature impregnation proved to be an effective method for loading TiO2.

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► A hybrid photocatalyst (titanium dioxide/activated carbon) with high specific surface area (1483 m2/g) was successfully synthesized.
► The presence of carbon on TiO2 lead to enhanced dye degradation.
► The method combining impregnation and vapor hydrolysis was effective to fabricate porous titanium dioxide/activated carbon.
► The synergism between TiO2 and activated carbon was intesively discussed.
► The photodegradation followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model.