Photocatalytic Performance of NiO/NiTiO₃ Composite Nanofiber Films

• Main Authors: Bozhi Yang, Xuefeng Bai, Jiaxuan Wang, Minghao Fang, Xiaowen Wu, Yan’gai Liu, Zhaohui Huang, Cheng-Yen Lao, Xin Min
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-06-01
• Series: Catalysts
• Subjects: NiO/NiTiO₃; nanofiber; electrospinning; photocatalyst
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/9/6/561

Photocatalytic degradation of pollutants is one of the cleanest technologies for environmental remediation. Herein, we prepared NiO/NiTiO₃ heterostructure nanofiber (200 nm) films by electrospinning and high temperature heat treatment, using nickel acetate and tetrabutyltitanate as nickel and titanium sources, respectively. The NiO/NiTiO₃ heterostructure has advantages of good photodegradation rate constant and stability. By controlling the temperature, we can optimize the phase composition of these nanofibers for better photocatalytic performance. Based on our findings of the Rhodamine B degradation results, the best performance was obtained with 10% NiO and 90% NiTiO₃; 92.9% of the Rhodamine B (5 mg/L) was degraded after reaction under full spectrum irradiation for 60 min. More importantly, the repeating test showed that these nanofiber films can remain active and stable after multiple cycles. The mechanisms of the photocatalysis reactions were also discussed. This demonstration provides a guideline in designing a new photocatalyst that we hope will serve the environmental needs for this and the coming century.