Fabrication of Novel Poly (Ethylene Terephthalate)/TiO2 Nanofibers by Electrospinning and their Photocatalytic Activity

Title: Fabrication of Novel Poly (Ethylene Terephthalate)/TiO2 Nanofibers by Electrospinning and their Photocatalytic Activity

Volume: 8 Issue: 1

Author(s): Xiangfu Meng, Xiaoying Feng, Zhongfeng Li and Ying Zhang

Affiliation:

Keywords: Electrospinning, nanofibers, poly (ethylene terephthalate), photocatalytic activity, TiO2, photodegradation, hydrothermal process, X-ray diffraction

Abstract: Novel functional poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/TiO2 nanofibers have been prepared by electrospinning the homogeneous solution of PET and titania precursor, tetra-n-butyl titanate (TBT), in trifluoroacitic acid (TFA). In situ growth of TiO2 nanoparticles in electrospun PET nanofibers has been successfully achieved via a simple hydrothermal process at low temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that the crystalline phase of TiO2 nanoparticles in PET electrospun nanofibers was anatase phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation revealed that anatase TiO2 nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed both on the surface and inside of the PET nanofibers. The as-prepared PET/TiO2 nanofibers showed highly photocatalytic activity and excellent reutilization properties in photodegradation of methyl orange.

Cite this article as:

Meng Xiangfu, Feng Xiaoying, Li Zhongfeng and Zhang Ying, Fabrication of Novel Poly (Ethylene Terephthalate)/TiO2 Nanofibers by Electrospinning and their Photocatalytic Activity, Current Nanoscience 2012; 8 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157341312799362322