Preparation of carbon-supported Bi/Ti composites and its catalytic activity under solar irradiation

Carbon-supported photocatalysts of Bi/Ti oxides (Bi/Ti-C) were synthesized by a facile sol-gel process. Carbon was mounted as support substrate by controlling calcination temperature. The as-prepared materials were characterized through X-ray diffraction, and the N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherm and surface texture of Bi/Ti-C at 673 K were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Characterization results revealed that BiOCl was the major phase of the catalytic composites, and that Bi/Ti-673 K was endowed with the porous structure of the coated C. The photocatalytic degradation activity of these samples to Rhodamine B was determined through ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The composite prepared at 673 K demonstrated the highest photocatalytic efficiency. The addition of C avoided the need to modify the surface area of the crystals. In addition, the photocatalytic activities of the Bi/Ti composites were significantly improved by the compounded microstructure. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.