Self-combustion fabrication of anatase/rutile titanium oxides encapsulated in thin carbon shells and their photocatalytic performance

•Anatase/rutile TiO2 encapsulated in well-graphitized carbon shells was prepared using a simple self-combustion method.•The weight ratio of anatase to rutile can easily be tuned.•The photocatalytic activity of anatase/rutile TiO2@C samples was investigated as a function of the proportion of anatase to rutile.

Titanium oxides encapsulated in well-graphitized thin carbon shells were prepared directly by burning tetrabutyl titanate, and the effect of the proportion of anatase to rutile TiO2 on the photocatalytic activity was investigated in this paper. The preparation method of the materials is simple without special equipment and complex process control. The prepared anatase/rutile TiO2@C samples exhibit better photocatalytic activity under UV irradiation. The best photocatalytic activity can be obtained when the weight ratio of the anatase to rutile phase is 83.8: 16.2.