Rev.Adv.Mater.Sci. (RAMS)
No 1, Vol. 28, 2011, pages 26-30

ENHANCEMENT OF PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF PAN-BASED NANOFIBERS CONTAINING
SOL-GEL-DERIVED TiO2 NANOPARTICLES BY E-BEAM IRRADIATION

Joon-Pyo Jeun, Dong-Won Park, Dong-Kwon Seo, Hyun-Bin Kim, Young-Chang Nho and Phil-Hyun Kang

Abstract

In this study, a composite of polyacrylonitrie (PAN) mat containing sol-gel-derived TiO2 of nanometer size was prepared using an electrospinning method. Subsequent PAN/TiO2 composite nanofibers were treated with an e-beam (10,000 kGy) under an argon atmosphere. SEM and XRD measurements show that the fibers contain anatase crystallized TiO2 particles on the fiber walls. EDS and TGA results suggest that the PAN/TiO2 nanocomposite contains over 30% TiO2 by mass. The photocatalytic activity of the PAN/TiO2 nanofibrous mat against methylene blue in an aqueous solution improved by 24% for 3 h after each e-beam irradiation.

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