Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activity of TiO 2/polyaniline core-shell nanocomposite

Abstract

Polyaniline (PANI) as a promising conducting polymer has been used to prepare polyaniline/TiO2 (PANI/TiO2) nanocomposite with core-shell structure as photocatalyst. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles with an average crystal size of 21 nm were encapsulated by PANI via the in situ polymerization of aniline on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles. FT-IR, UV-Vis-NIR, XRD, SEM and TEM techniques were used to characterize the PANI/TiO2 core-shell nanocomposite. Photocatalytic activity of PANI/TiO2 nanocomposite was investigated under both UV and visible light irradiations and compared with unmodified TiO2 nanoparticles. Results indicated deposition of PANI on the surface of TiO 2 nanoparticles which improved the photocatalytic activity of pristine TiO2 nanoparticles. © Indian Academy of Sciences.