In situ synthesis and characterization of TiO2/HPM cellulose hybrid material for the photocatalytic degradation of 4-NP under visible light

Abstract

Hybrid TiO 2 –hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (TiO 2 –HPMC) nanophotocatalysts were prepared by a simple in situ synthesis. The weight ratios of HPMC-to-TiO 2 were 5, 10 and 20%, respectively. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, XPS, UV–vis DRS, ATG and BET surface area analysis. Surface morphology was assessed by the means of SEM. The photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in neutral aqueous solution under visible light irradiation was examined to evaluate the efficiency of the hybrids in comparison to pure TiO 2 . The results indicated that the in situ hybridization of TiO 2 with HPMC significantly increases its specific surface area and extends its light absorption range to the visible region. Consequently, TiO 2 –HPMC nanocomposites were photocatalytically much more active than pure TiO 2 . Moreover, the TiO 2 –HPMC hybrids were found to be sufficiently photostable after five experimental runs.