Visible Light Photocatalytic Functional TiO₂/PVDF Nanofibers for Dye Pollutant Degradation

Abstract

Abstract The photodegradation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) nanofibers under visible light is described, something that has not been previously reported in the literature. Visible light photocatalytic electrospun PVDF/TiO 2 nanofiber webs with anatase TiO 2 concentration varying from 0% to 20% (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) are produced, and their ability to degrade a toxic pollutant, Rhodamine B (RhB), is studied. Photodegradation study using UV–vis spectroscopy on PVDF/TiO 2 nanofiber webs (with TiO 2 concentration of 20%) shows that 80% of RhB is degraded within 6 h at the wavelength of 546 nm, which clearly falls within the visible spectra. The color of RhB solvent catalyzed by PVDF/TiO 2 nanofiber webs gradually changes from red to orange, then to yellow, further to light yellow till colorless, which suggests the complete photodegradation of RhB under visible light. To estimate the rate of photodegradation, the reaction constant k is calculated. Based on the k value, PVDF/TiO 2 nanofiber webs with 20% TiO 2 concentration show the highest degradation rate compared to other PVDF/TiO 2 nanofiber webs and pure TiO 2 nanoparticles. This study proves the viability of TiO 2 ‐based nanofibers to have catalytic capabilities under low‐energy visible light.