Efficient photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B dye by aligned arrays of self-assembled hydrogen titanate nanotubes

Abstract

We show that an aligned array of hydrothermally grown, multiwalled hydrogen titanate (H₂Ti₃O₇) nanotubes—anchored to both faces of a metallic Ti foil—acts as an efficient photocatalyst. We studied the degradation of rhodamine B dye in the presence of the nanostructured photocatalyst under UV irradiation, by monitoring the optical absorption of the dye. Rhodamine B was chosen as a representative—and particularly harmful—industrial pollutant dye. The inner and outer diameters of the H₂Ti₃O₇ nanotubes were 5 nm and 10 nm, respectively. The nanotube array catalyst is recyclable and structurally stable. Most importantly, it shows comparable or higher photodecomposition rate constant than those of both H₂Ti₃O₇ nanotube powder and P-25 (Degussa). The enhanced photocatalytic performance may be ascribed to the nanotube array having a superhydrophilic surface with a high accessible surface area.