Photocatalyst Modified With Conducting Polymer

Environmental, energy sources and materials sciences are the three key projects21thcentury. One of them is the photocatalysis using oxide semiconductor, which associatedtightly with those topics. However, enhancing the photoconversion effieiency, maximizing therate of photoinduced charge separation, and extending the photoresponse of thesemiconductor catalyst into the visible range continue to be still pose a major challenge to thescientific community. Since1977, conducting polymers （CPs） have drawn considerableinterest because of their unusual electrical, optical and photoelectrical properties and theirnumerous applications in various fields. Because of their semiconductor energy level structurebroad absorption spectra and very high stability under irradiation of solarlight, CPs can beused to photosensitize semiconductor oxides and to obtain the novel photocatalysts responseto the visiblelight.In this paper, ZnO, TiO₂were chose as the represeniative of semieonductor oxides. PANwas chose as there presentative of conducting polymers. Nanocomposties PAN/ZnO、PAN/TiO₂and TiO₂/PAN were synthesized by in-suit polymerization methods. The crystalsstructure, surfacemorphology, absorption spectra and the thermic stability of the productswere investigated by XRD、FT-IR、DRS、UV-Vis、TEM. The photocatalytic activities of thenanocomposites were evaluated by the degradation process of Reaetive Brilliant Blue. Thephotosensitive mechanism was also studied. The main results from those studies aresummarized as follow:1. Preparation of composite based on PAN/ZnO and study on its photocatalytic property.PAN/ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized by in-suit polymerization methods. Thephotocatalytic activity of products was evaluated by the degradation of KN-R. Compare withpure ZnO, the IR absorbability of PAN/ZnO shifted slightly to the lower wavenurnber. Underthe UV irradiation, the photocatalytic property of this composite was tested and comparedwith that of pure nanometer ZnO. The results indicated that after irradiating3hours thedecolorization proportion of KN-R was26.92%by using composite, which was much largerthan23.53%by using pure nanometer ZnO. Under the sunlight irradiation after3hours, decolorization proportion of KN-R was12%by using composite, which was also much largerthan6.9%by using pure nanometer ZnO.2. Preparation of composite based on PAN/TiO₂and study on its photocatalytic property.PAN/TiO₂nanocomposite was synthesized by in-suit polymerization methods. Thephotocatalytic activity of products was evaluated by the degradation of KN-R. Compare withpure TiO₂, the IR absorbability of PAN/TiO₂shifted slightly to the lower wavenurnber. Underthe UV irradiation, the photocatalytic property of this composite was tested and comparedwith that of pure nanometer TiO₂. The results indicated that after irradiating3hours thedecolorization proportion of KN-R was40.66%by using composite. Under the sunlightirradiation after3hours, decolorization proportion of KN-R was18.1%by using composite,which was also much larger than by using pure nanometer TiO₂.3. Preparation of composite based on TiO₂/PAN and study on its photocatalytic property.TiO₂/PAN nanocomposite was synthesized by in-suit polymerization methods. Thephotocatalytic activity of products was evaluated by the degradation of KN-R. Compare withpure TiO₂, the IR absorbability of TiO₂/PAN shifted slightly to the lower wavenurnber. Underthe UV irradiation, the photocatalytic property of this composite was tested and comparedwith that of pure nanometer TiO₂. The results indicated that after irradiating3hours thedecolorization proportion of KN-R was30%by using composite. Under the sunlightirradiation after3hours, decolorization proportion of KN-R was20.45%by using composite,which was also much larger than by using pure nanometer TiO₂.