Construction of Hierarchical Nanostructured N-doped TiO2 Immobilized Activated Carbon Fiber Porous Composites for Toluene Removal

The hierarchical nanostructured N-doped TiO2 immobilized activated carbon fiber (N-TiO2/ACF) porous composites are fabricated to removal dynamic toluene gas. The results show that nitrogen ions doping and ACF modification can decrease the band gap of TiO2, leading to red shift toward visible light region. Interestingly, N-TiO2/ACF exhibits strongly synergistic effect owing to high surface area, good crystallinity, enhanced bandgap structure and light harvesting. The toluene removal rate of N-TiO2/ACF composites is 2.29 times higher than that of TiO2. The N-TiO2/ACF for toluene degradation followed the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model, and the rate constant is enhanced 8 times compared with TiO2. The possible photodegradation pathway and mechanisms are proposed.