Microwave Hydrothermal Synthesis of Basalt Fibers/Titanium Dioxide and Their Photocatalytic Activity for the Degradation of Rhodamine B

Basalt fibers loaded with titanium dioxide (BFs/TiO2) were successfully fabricated via a simple and cost effective microwave hydrothermal method. The morphology and structure of the BFs/TiO2 were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The photocatalytic activity of the BFs/TiO2 was validated by the photodegradation test of Rhodamine B (RhB) under ultraviolet light irradiation. The photocatalytic reaction result revealed the excellent photocatalytic activity of the BFs/TiO2, with 94% of RhB decomposed at 5 h after irradiation. Furthermore, the recycling test indicated that the BFs/TiO2 exhibited excellent recyclability with photocatalytic degradation rate still maintained at 86% in the fifth cycling test.