TiO2-loaded carbon fiber: Microwave hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic activity under UV light irradiation

Recycling and rapid synthesis of photocatalysts are of significant importance in wastewater degradation. Herein, a systemic strategy was developed, employing loaded nano-TiO 2 on carbon fiber (CF) utilizing microwave hydrothermal method for the fast and efficient preparation of photocatalysts . The prepared TiO 2 /CF was characterized using a variety of analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and UV–vis. Compared with pure TiO 2 particles, TiO 2 /CF is easily recycled when employed as a photocatalyst. Nitric acid oxidation treatment of CF generates polar functional groups, which improves the bonding properties between TiO 2 and CF. With increasing CF treatment time between 0 and 4 h, the loading rate of TiO 2 increases, until TiO 2 /CF produces optimum photocatalytic activity . Moreover, the experimental results indicate that TiO 2 /CF possesses favorable photocatalytic activity, achieving 97% degradation rate of Rhodamine B within 1 h of UV light irradiation. Furthermore, even after 10 experimental cycles the photocatalyst still generates 88% degradation rate.