Preparation and Visible-Light Catalytic Activities of Fe-TiO2 Loaded on Activated Carbon Fiber Felts

Fe-TiO2 loaded on activated carbon fiber felts (ACFF) composite photocatalysts were prepared by dipping ACFF in the Fe-TiO2 sol using tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) as precursors and FeCl3•6H2O as dopant, followed by calcination at 500 °C in N2 atmosphere. The composites were characterized by XRD, UV-vis absorbance spectra, SEM and BET. The photocatalytic activities under visible-light irradiation were investigated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO). The results showed that the absorption wavelengths of Fe-TiO2 composites were extended to 610 nm, the absorption edge had a pronounced ‘red shift’. Fe-TiO2 nanoparticles were evenly loaded on the surface of ACFs. Because of the synergy action of adsorption and photocatalysis, the degradation rate of MO with Fe-TiO2/ACFs was about 20% higher than that of ACFs, when irradiated for 180 min under visile-light.