In situ generation of nano TiO2 on activated carbon fiber with enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance

Photocatalytic degradation is an advanced technique towards remediation of wastewater laden with organic contaminants. In the present study, in order to improve the photocatalytic activity and recycling times of TiO2 under visible light, TiO2 was facilely in situ immobilized on activated carbon fiber (ACF) surface by coating and hydrothermal treatment, called ACF-TiO2. XRD indicated that TiO2 on ACF-TiO2 was nano anatase type with a grain size of 3.72 nm. SEM, XPS and FT-IR analysis showed that TiO2 was uniformly dispersed on the surface of ACF, and the C element of ACF entered the lattice of TiO2, forming Ti–O–C bond. According to the analysis of UV-Vis DRS, the response of ACF-TiO2 to light exhibited a significant red shift, and the bandgap energy value decreased to 3.03 eV; In the process of eliminating MB, the presence of ACF improved the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 and the loaded TiO2 continuously degraded the MB molecules adsorbed by ACF. The whole process of adsorption-photocatalytic degradation was dynamically completed, and the synergistic effect between ACF and nano TiO2 was beneficial to the in situ regeneration and sustainable use of ACF-TiO2. This study may provide a facile reference to prepare ACF supported TiO2 without the sacrifice of the pores and adsorption capacity of substrates of ACF, and the desirable performance can be highly applied in the treatment of wastewater contaminated with organic dyes.