Carbon-Modified TiO2 Visible Light Photocatalyst Prepared Using Phenolic Resin as Carbon Source

A carbon-modified titanium dioxide photocatalyst, PF/TiO2, was prepared by calcining self-prepared phenolic resin (PF) and TiO2 in N-2 atmosphere. The as-prepared PF/TiO2 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. PF/TiO2 has similar crystal phase and morphology to raw TiO2 and has significant absorption in the visible region. The XPS observed the presence of C-n, C-OH(C-O-C), and C=O(COO) species, which confirms that there is graphite carbonaceous matter on the surface of PF/TiO2. During the calcination, the phenolic resin on the surface of PF/TiO2 has been carbonized. The photocatalytic performance of PF/TiO2 under visible light was evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange. The photocatalytic activity of PF/TiO2 is greatly higher than that of bare TiO2. The PF dosage for preparing PF/TiO2 with the highest visible light photocatalytic activity is 2%, corresponding to a carbonaceous matter content of 1.33% in PF/TiO2.