Enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO(2)-C hybrid aerogels for methylene blue degradation

Carbon-based TiO(2) composites have many advantages as photocatalysts. However, they suffer from low light efficiency due to the low contrast of TiO(2) with carbon. We synthesized a novel type of anatase-type TiO(2)-C hybrid aerogel by a one-pot sol-gel method, which shows a photocatalytic activity for methylene degradation up to 4.23 times that of P25, a commercial photocatalyst from Degussa Inc. The hybrid aerogels are prepared from TiCl(4) and resorcinol–furfural, and have a tunable macropore size from 167 to 996 nm. They are formed of submicrometer particles that consist of interwoven anatase and carbon nanoparticles. The anatase nanoparticles have a size of 8–9 nm and a tunable oxygen vacancy from 7.2 to 18.0%. The extremely high activity is ascribed to the large light absorption caused by macropore scattering and oxygen vacancies in the anatase. These findings may open up a new avenue and stimulate further research to improve photocatalytic performance.