Synthesis of organically hybridized TiO2 photocatalyst and its photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

An organically hybridized TiO2 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized using a dye chrysoidine G, tolylene-2,4-diisocyanate and Degussa P25 as starting materials. Tolylene-2,4-diisocyanate was used as a connecter, and one -NCO reacted with Ti-OH and the other with the dye. The as-prepared catalyst was characterized by XRD, TEM, IR and UV-visible and its photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under visible light. The results showed that stable chemical bonds were formed through the above-mentioned reaction and an organically hybridized photocatalyst was prepared. The obtained catalyst showed an obvious absorption in visible region (400 similar to 550 nm). Compared with unmodified TiO2, the organically hydridized TiO2 exhibited largely enhanced activity for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation.