Fabrication and study on photocatalytic property of electrospun TiO2 nanofibers

Abstract

TiO2 nanofibers prepared from tetrabutyl titanate (Ti(OC4H9)4) (TBT) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), were fabricated via an electrospinning method. The nanofibers were characterized by TGADTA, XRD, FE-SEM and TEM analysis. The results show that the electrospun non-woven web fabricated from only PVP was a wet web while the nanofibers including TBT in this study were smooth and uniform. Anatase crystalline titanium oxide particles were found on the nanofiber wall after calcination at 500°C in oxidative atmosphere for 2 h. Average diameter of the TiO2 nanofibers was about 100 nm. Photocatalytic properties of the electrospun TiO2 nanofibers was evaluated through photodecomposition of methylene blue (MB) and E.coli bacteria.