Fabrication of carbon nanotube-loaded TiO2@AgI and its excellent performance in visible-light photocatalysis

Novel, visible light driven CNTs-TiO2@AgI hybrid materials were synthesized by a simple solvothermaldissolution-precipitation method, during which the acid vapor treated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as template, AgI as sensitizer and TiO2 as the bridge unified them to form a ternary composite. The morphology and chemical components of as-prepared samples were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD and XPS characterizations indicated that anatase TiO2 and crystal AgI co-existed in the composite. HRTEM demonstrated CNTs were decorated with well-dispersed AgI and TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), and TiO2 had an intimate connection with both AgI and CNTs. Diffusive reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy of CNTs-TiO2@AgI nanocomposite was extended to the whole UV-visible region due to adding of CNTs and AgI NPs. Degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) polluted water using CNTs-TiO2@AgI NPs was carried out under visible light irradiation, and it showed higher degradation efficiency than CNTs-TiO2, TiO2@AgI, and CNTs@AgI NPs. The primary reason for the enhanced photocatalytic property was attributed to the synergic effect in CNTs-TiO2@AgI, which included the good adsorption ability and electrical conductivity of CNTs as well as the intimate connection and hetero-junctions among AgI, TiO2, and CNTs. Meanwhile, the as-prepared hybrid materials can be easily separated and reclaimed from the liquid phase, and the recycling tests indicated CNTs-TiO2@AgI had renewable performance.