Surface Modification of Natural Fiber using Bi2O3/TiO2 Composite for Photocatalytic Self-cleaning

Abstract

A photocatalytic fiber was prepared by modifying the surface of jute fiber with a Bi2O3/TiO2 composite. Maleic acid was used as an organic linker, and the coating process was conducted with heat-treatment at 240 °C. At first, the Bi2O3/TiO2 composite was synthesized by incorporating TiO2 nanoparticles onto a Bi2O3 phase. Subsequently, the photocatalytic fiber was prepared by incorporating the Bi2O3/TiO2 composite onto the surface of the fiber. The Bi2O3/TiO2 composite-modified fiber was characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The synthesized composite exhibited notably high photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation of λ up to 420 nm, whereby it could decompose organic pollutants in the aqueous and gaseous phases. Because of increasing environmental concerns, this photocatalytic system could be an important candidate for decomposing organic pollutants.

Keywords

• Bi2O3/TiO2
• Fiber
• Self cleaning
• Organic pollutants
• Photocatalysis