Preparation of TiO2/PAN-based activated carbon nanofibers assisted by supercritical CO2 fluid

Abstract

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based activated carbon nanofibers were used as a photocatalyst carrier and framework due to its large specific area and can adsorb organic pollutants. In this paper, the supercritical carbon dioxide was used to deposit TiO2 on the surface of pre-oxidized PAN nanofibers, and the fibers were activated by heat treatment to prepare activated carbon nanofibers-TiO2 (TiO2/ACNF). The morphology, structure and specific surface area of the modified nanofibers were analyzed, and the degradation test of methyl orange was carried out. The results showed that TiO2 nanoparticles can be uniformly loaded on the surface of pre-oxidized PAN nanofibers after supercritical treatment. The specific surface area of the TiO2/ACNF after activated heat treatment can reach 422.8 m2/g, having higher adsorption and photocatalytic degradation performance.