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.