Photocatalytic activity of titania fibers obtained by electrospinning

Journal Article · Wed Feb 04 04:00:00 EST 2009 · Materials Research Bulletin

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.materresbull.2008.06.001· OSTI ID:21199668

Alves, A K ^[1]; Berutti, F A ^[1]; Clemens, F J; Graule, T ^[2]; Bergmann, C P ^[1]

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1. Laboratory of Ceramic Materials, UFRGS, Porto Alegre (Brazil)
2. Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, EMPA, Duebendorf (Switzerland)

Composite fibers of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and titanium isopropoxide were prepared in this study using the electrospinning technique. Titanium oxide fibers were obtained after subsequent heat treatment at high temperatures. The photocatalytic activity of these fibers is reported herein. The fibers were characterized using the BET model, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the titania fibers was investigated using ultraviolet-visible absorbance by following the photooxidative decomposition of methylene blue in comparison to the reference TiO{sub 2} powder Degussa P25. The temperature of heat treatment, the crystalline structure, and the surface area affected the physical and chemical properties of the as-synthesized titania fibers. Increasing the temperature of heat treatment resulted in a decrease in both the fraction of anatase phase and the surface area, thereby leading to reduced photocatalytic activity.

• OSTI ID: 21199668
• Journal Information: Materials Research Bulletin, Journal Name: Materials Research Bulletin Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 44; ISSN MRBUAC; ISSN 0025-5408
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CERAMICS
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
DECOMPOSITION
FIBERS
HEAT TREATMENTS
METHYLENE BLUE
NANOSTRUCTURES
PHOTOCATALYSIS
PYRROLIDONES
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SURFACE AREA
THERMAL GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TITANIUM OXIDES
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
X-RAY DIFFRACTION