Photocatalytic degradation of procion blue dye in aqueous solution by a TiO2-carbon nano-composite.

A nano-composite consisting of TiO2-CNT was prepared via the sol-gel technique by using titanium n-butoxide along with carbon nano-tubes (CNTs) followed by calcination at 450 degrees C. Spectral analysis reveals that the TiO2 formed was present on the carbon in anatase form. The effect of adsorption was investigated in an aqueous solution of procion blue dye in a darkroom and the photochemical reaction in aqueous suspensions of titania composite under UV illumination. The reaction was studied by monitoring the discoloration of dye via employing a UV-Visible spectrophotometeric technique as a function of irradiation time. The composite catalyst was found to be efficient in the photodegradation of the dye.