Mesocrystalline TiO₂/sepiolite composites for the effective degradation of methyl orange and methylene blue

Abstract

Mesocrystalline TiO₂/sepiolite (TiS) composites with the function of adsorption and degradation of liquid organic pollutants were successfully fabricated via a facile and low-cost solvothermal reaction. The prepared TiS composites were characterized by FESEM, HRTEM, XRD, XPS, N₂ adsorption–desorption, UV-vis DRS, and EPR. Results revealed the homogeneous dispersion of highly reactive TiO₂ mesocrystals on the sepiolite nanofibers. Thereinto each single-crystal-like TiO₂ mesocrystal comprised many [001]-oriented anatase nanoparticles about 10–20 nm in diameter. The photocatalytic activity was further evaluated by the degradation of anionic dye (methyl orange) and cationic dye (methylene blue) under the UV-vis light (350≤λ≤780 nm) irradiation. By selecting appropriate experimental conditions, we can easily manipulate the photocatalytic performance of TiS composites. The optimal TiS catalyst (the sepiolite content of 28.5 wt.%, and the reaction time of 24 h) could efficiently degrade methyl orange to 90.7% after 70 min, or methylene blue to 97.8% after 50 min, under UV-vis light irradiation. These results can be attributed to their synergistic effect of high crystallinity, large specific surface area, abundant hydroxyl radicals, and effective photogenerated charge separation.

Keywords

TiO ₂/sepiolite / mesocrystal / solvothermal / composites / photocatalysis

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