Polyaniline-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 with tunable OVs and enhanced photocatalytic performance for destruction of rhodamine B and ciprofloxacin

Abstract

For purpose of ameliorating the photocatalytic capability of TiO2, TiO2 photocatalysts were facilely fabricated by a hydrothermal strategy through the assistance of polyaniline (PANI). TiO2 samples prepared (PANI-TiO2) were characterized in detail by miscellaneous characterization approaches. The consequences affirm that PANI-assisted preparation can construct tunable oxygen vacancy (OVs), notably heightening the photocatalytic capability of TiO2. Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) were carried out under Xenon lamp irradiation. Compared with the blank TiO2, PANI-TiO2 photocatalysts show superior photocatalytic capability to the blank TiO2. When the weight proportion of PANI/TiO2 is 4%, the degradation efficiency of RhB and CIP reaches 92.6% and 89.9% respectively, and the first-order kinetic constant of RhB and CIP over the sample is 3.7 and 1.7 times of that on the reference TiO2. This demonstration offers a potent reference for fabrication of effective photocatalysts for destruction of organic contaminants.