Coverage of carbon nanotubes with titania nanoparticles for the preparation of active titania-based photocatalysts

Sakae Takenaka, Takafumi Arike, Hideki Matsune, Masahiro Kishida

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

TiO 2 nanoparticles were deposited on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to improve their photocatalytic activity. The outer surface of the CNTs could be uniformly covered with TiO 2 nanoparticles using the hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (Ti(O iPr) 4) in the presence of urea or glycine amide. The urea and glycine amide acted as linker molecules between the TiO 2 nanoparticles and the CNT surfaces. The TiO 2-coated CNTs showed a higher catalytic activity for the photodegradation of organic molecules than TiO 2 alone. The addition of the CNTs to the TiO 2 photocatalytic system retarded the recombination of the electron-hole pairs generated in the photo-irradiated TiO 2. When Pt metal particles were inserted in the cavities of the CNTs in the TiO 2-coated CNT catalyst system, further improvements in the photocatalytic activity were observed. The TiO 2-coated CNTs with Pt metal particles displayed a unique catalytic performance in the photocatalytic degradation of organic impurities in water.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)358-366
Number of pages9
JournalApplied Catalysis B: Environmental
Volume125
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 21 2012

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Catalysis
  • Environmental Science(all)
  • Process Chemistry and Technology

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