Study on properties and synthesis of sulfonated coal supported nanostructure TiO2 photocatalysts

•TiO2 coated on sulfonated coal was synthesized using microwave-hydrolysis method.•The temperature is around 100 °C in the step of the synthesis.•SC as a semi-organic matter was first chosen as the substrate of TiO2.•TiO2/SC composite shows strong crystallinity and good photocatalytic performance.

Nano-TiO2 was synthesized with titanium sulfate by a simple economical microwave-assisted-hydrolysis method, and it was successfully coated on semi-organic-matter sulfonated coal (SC). SC as a semi-organic matter was first chosen as the substrate of nano-TiO2. Their surface morphology and structure were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The hybrid nano-composite photocatalyst exhibited a good photocatalytic activity in degrading methylene blue (MB). Results revealed that under the assistance of microwave-process, the anatase TiO2 can be synthesized at low temperature (around 100 °C), presents a strong crystalline and has a good photocatalytic performance.