Synthesis of Ag–Carbon–TiO2 composite tubes and their antibacterial and organic degradation properties

Ag–Carbon–TiO 2 composite tubes were prepared by using polystyrene/AgNO 3 composite fibers as a sacrifice template and a co-pyrolysis process. The Ag–Carbon–TiO 2 tubes were characterized by SEM, TEM, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectrum, XPS, and UV–vis spectrum. The results showed that the Ag–Carbon–TiO 2 tubes possessed uniform tubular structure with amorphous carbon, graphitic carbon, and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) distributing uniformly in TiO 2 . The Ag–Carbon–TiO 2 tubes were confirmed high UV–vis light utilization and photocatalytic degradation efficiency to Rhodamine B due to the carbon doping, the surface plasmon resonance of AgNPs and the tubular structure, and the degradation of Rhodamine B reached 90% in 6 h. Meanwhile, they showed an excellent antibacterial effect on staphylococcus aureus, and the fatality rate of Ag–Carbon–TiO 2 tubes to staphylococcus aureus reached 99.9% in 24 h when its concentration was higher than 4 mg/ml. The co-pyrolysis process could repress the AgNPs to grow to be large particles, which could be a key for the excellent antibacterial property. The research showed a promising strategy for preparing Ag–Carbon–TiO 2 composite tubes by co-pyrolysis of PS composite electrospinning fibers, indicating their potential application in wastewater treatment and antibacterial materials.