Microstructure of SiO2/TiO2 hybrid electrospun nanofibers and their application in dye degradation

Abstract

SiO 2 /TiO 2 hybrid nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and applied for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). The phase structure, specific surface area, and surface morphologies of the SiO 2 /TiO 2 hybrid nanofibers were characterized through thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), etc. XRD measurements indicated that doping of silica into TiO 2 nanofibers can delay the phase transition from anatase to rutile and decrease the grain size. SEM and BET characterization proved that silica doping can remarkably enhance the porosity of the SiO 2 /TiO 2 hybrid nanofibers. The MB adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity of the SiO 2 /TiO 2 hybrid nanofibers were distinguished experimentally. It was found that, although increased silica doping content could enhance the MB adsorption capacity, the intrinsic photocatalytic activity gradually dropped. The SiO 2 (10 %)/TiO 2 composite nanofibers exhibited the highest MB degradation rate, being superior to SiO 2 (20 %)/TiO 2 or pure TiO 2 .

Titania-Based Hybrid Materials with ZnO, ZrO2 and MoS2: A Review

“…The efficient degradation of this type of pollution from wastewater is becoming an urgent and challenging problem. Many centers are conducting research on the use of electrospinning for the synthesis of titania-based materials and their use in wastewater photodegradation [250,251,252]. Li et al [237] developed a synthesis process based on electrospinning for a photocatalytic TiO 2 -ZnO oxide system.…”