Pickering emulsion-based TiO2@PPy janus microspheres for efficient photocatalytic degradation of 5-methylbenzotriazole

Abstract

The importance of photocatalysts is indisputable in scientific research. Improving the efficiency of photocatalysis depends on appropriate catalyst structure design and synthesis strategies that enhance the separation and migration efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers. In this study, we used a Pickering emulsion-based template masking method to prepare Janus-like core-shell TiO2 @PPy under in-situ UV irradiation. Compared to non-Janus-like core-shell catalysts, Janus-like catalysts showed 1.5–10 times higher efficiency for the degradation of 5-MBT. The two catalysts were analyzed using time-resolved photoluminescence(TRPL), and the fitting analysis of the results indicated that the Janus-like catalyst exhibited a higher proportion of long-lived charge carriers. This indicates that the Janus structure has a decisive effect on the charge separation of photocatalyst particles. The electron transfer mechanism of the Janus composite catalyst was further determined by EPR and band structure analysis. This work demonstrates a simple and scalable preparation strategy to enhance the efficiency of photocatalysts.