Synthesis and characterization of polyaniline nanofiber/TiO2 nanoparticles hybrids

Abstract

The hybridization of polyaniline (PANI) and TiO2 leads to unique materials, which exhibit the enhancement of photocatalytic properties. Further improvement requires high dispersion state of TiO2 in the hybrid. In this study, highly dispersed PANI nanofiber/TiO2 nanoparticles hybrids were obtained by modifying the surface charge of TiO2 nanoparticles via layer by layer (LbL) technique. The structural studies of the hybrids confirmed the presence of PANI along with anatase TiO2 nanoparticles. The degradation of methylene blue (MB) in an aqueous solution under visible light irradiation was carried out to study the photocatalytic activity of the hybrids. The hybridization of PANI nanofiber and TiO2 nanoparticles resulted in an enhancement of photocatalytic activity for visible light. © 2011 The Ceramic Society of Japan.