Adsorption properties and photocatalytic activity of TiO2/activated carbon fiber composite

Photocatalysts of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and TiO₂/activated carbon fiber (TiO₂/ACF) composite were prepared by sol-gel method, followed by calcining the pure TiO₂ sols and the TiO₂/ACF sols at 500°C for 2 h in a N₂ atmosphere, respectively. These photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms measurement. Batch experiments were conducted to study the adsorption property of TiO₂/ACF composite using methylene blue as adsorbate. The adsorption data obtained from different batch experiments were analyzed using pseudo-second-order kinetic model, the experimental data can be adequately described by the pseudo-second-order equation. The photodecomposition behavior of TiO₂/ACF was investigated in aqueous solution using methylene blue as target pollutant. It was found that methylene blue could be removed rapidly from water by TiO₂/ACF, the photocatalytic decomposition was obviously improved when the photocatalyst was used. Kinetics analysis revealed that the photocatalytic decomposition reaction can be described well by a first-order rate equation.