Enhanced photocatalytic activity of nanohybrids TiO2/CNTs materials.

The nanohybrids TiO 2 /CNTs materials were synthesized by hydrolysis method. The results show that, compared to pure TiO 2 or CNTs nanoparticles, nanohybrids TiO 2 /CNTs materials exhibit higher catalytic activities in degradation of methylene blue (MB), or methylene orange (MO). The highest degradation percentages, observed in samples with [TiO 2 ]/[CNTs] ratio of 5/1, are around 33% for MO and 38% for MB, respectively. This can be attributed to the significantly enhanced visible light absorption of nanohybrids TiO 2 /CNTs due to the attachment of the TiO 2 nanoparticles on the sidewall of CNTs. The density functional-theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the stability of nanohybrids TiO 2 /CNTs is due to the favored bonding state between nanocrytal TiO 2 and CNTs at the interface. Hopefully, this work can help promote better understanding of the role of semiconductor-CNTs interface in increasing the efficiency of using the solar energy, by enhancing the photocatalytic performance in the visible region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]