Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B and Phenol by TiO2 Loaded on Mesoporous Graphitic Carbon

Mesoporous graphitic carbon with high surface area (298.2 m2/g) was fabricated at 950°C using monodisperse colloid SiO2 with diameter of 26 nm as the template, styrene as the carbon precursor, and Ni as the catalyst. The obtained carbon material was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The presence of Ni was crucial to the formation of graphitized mesoporous carbon. The TiO2/graphitic carbon composite was prepared by loading TiO2 in the mesopores of the graphitic carbon via the sol-gel method. Both the surface area and pore volume of the composite were significantly reduced in contrast to the mesoporous graphitic carbon. The photoactivity of TiO2/graphitic carbon was investigated by photocatalytic degradation aqueous solutions of rhodamine B and phenol. The degradation of both rhodamine B and phenol followed first-order reaction kinetics, and the composite showed higher photoactivity than the pure anatase TiO2.