Preparation of carbon foam-loaded nano-TiO₂ photocatalyst and its degradation on methyl orange

Photocatalyst is of current interest due to its new technology for environmental pollution. Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is well known as a photocatalyst for the removal of environmental contaminants. In this work, nano-TiO₂ photocatalyst was first prepared by sol-gel technique, on the basis of which carbon foam-loaded nano-TiO₂ photocatalyst (nano-TiO₂/CF) was synthesized by way of impregnating load, baking and forming methods. The effects of preparation processes on the photocatalytic properties of nano-TiO₂/CF were investigated. The structures of the prepared nano-TiO₂/CF composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The photocatalytic activity of the prepared nano-TiO₂/CF was evaluated by degradation of methyl orange as a model compound under ultraviolet light. Factors of heat treatment temperature, sol concentrations, dipping times, light sources, and the initial concentration of methyl orange on the photocatalytic degradation were studied in details. Results showed that when the concentration ratio of tetrabutyl titanate to absolute ethyl alcohol was 1:8, impregnating load twice, and baking at 500 °C, the obtained nano-TiO₂/CF photocatalyst exhibited the most desired efficiency in the degradation of methyl orange solution, reaching up to 83–87%.