In situ synthesis and characterization of TiO2/HPM cellulose hybrid material for the photocatalytic degradation of 4-NP under visible light

Hybrid TiO₂–hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (TiO₂–HPMC) nanophotocatalysts were prepared by a simple in situ synthesis. The weight ratios of HPMC-to-TiO₂ were 5, 10 and 20%, respectively. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, XPS, UV–vis DRS, ATG and BET surface area analysis. Surface morphology was assessed by the means of SEM. The photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in neutral aqueous solution under visible light irradiation was examined to evaluate the efficiency of the hybrids in comparison to pure TiO₂. The results indicated that the in situ hybridization of TiO₂ with HPMC significantly increases its specific surface area and extends its light absorption range to the visible region. Consequently, TiO₂–HPMC nanocomposites were photocatalytically much more active than pure TiO₂. Moreover, the TiO₂–HPMC hybrids were found to be sufficiently photostable after five experimental runs.