Open AccessThree-Dimensional Hierarchical Porous TiO2 for Enhanced Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation of Remazol Dye
Author(s) -
Jitpisut Poolwong,
Tanya Kiatboonyarit,
Supakit Achiwawanich,
Teera Butburee,
Pongtanawat Khemthong,
Sutasinee Kityakarn
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nanomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.919
H-Index - 58
ISSN - 2079-4991
DOI - 10.3390/nano11071715
Subject(s) - anatase , mesoporous material , photocatalysis , materials science , chemical engineering , adsorption , titanium dioxide , emulsion , chemistry , catalysis , composite material , organic chemistry , engineering
Three-dimensional hierarchical mesoporous structures of titanium dioxide (3D-HPT) were synthesized by self-assembly emulsion polymerization. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and pluronic 123 (P123) were used as the soft templates and co-templates for assisting the formation of hierarchical 3D porous structures. The TiO 2 crystal structure, morphology, and Remazol red dye degradation were investigated. The 3D-HPT and normal three-dimensional titanium dioxide (3D-T) presented the good connection of the nanoparticle-linked honeycomb within the form of anatase. The 3D-HPT structure showed greatly enhanced adsorption of Remazol dye, and facilitated the efficient photocatalytic breakdown of the dye. Surprisingly, 3D-HPT can adsorb approximately 40% of 24 ppm Remazol dye in the dark, which is superior to 3D-T and the commercial anatase at the same condition (approx. 5%). Moreover, 3D-HPT can completely decolorize Remazol dye within just 20 min, which is more than three folds faster than the commercial anatase, making it one of the most active photocatalysts that have been reported for degradation of Remazol dye. The superior photocatalytic performance is attributed to the higher specific surface area, amplified light-harvesting efficiency, and enhanced adsorption capacity into the hierarchical 3D inverse opal structure compared to the commercial anatase TiO 2 .