Photocatalytic performance of TiO2–zeolite templated carbon composites in organic contaminant degradation

Abstract

TiO₂ composites with zeolite templated carbon (TiO₂–ZTC) and activated carbon (TiO₂–AC) were prepared and used as the photocatalysts for comparative studies with pure TiO₂. TiO₂–ZTC exhibited the highest rate of methylene blue degradation with a rate approximately 4 and 400 times higher than those of TiO₂–AC and pure TiO₂, respectively. Moreover, the highest catalytic performance of TiO₂–ZTC in gas-phase degradation of acetone was approximately 1.1 and 12.9 times higher than TiO₂–AC and pure TiO₂, respectively. These outstanding performances could be attributed to high surface area, pore volume, and hydrophobic surface properties, leading to improvement in the adsorption properties of organic molecules.