Flexible and thermally stable polyimide (PI) film containing hierarchical structure was synthesized as the substrate to support cuprous oxide for photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide. With the nanocasting technique, the structure on the leaves of Xanthosoma sagittifolium was duplicated on the surface of PI film. Followed by the ion-exchange process and adequate thermal-treatment, cuprous oxide nanoparticles were successfully immobilized on the artificial PI leaves and had the capability to photoreduce carbon dioxide. The biomimetic PI films obtained via two types of ion-exchange processes exhibited significant differences in UV-VIS absorption and in the depth distribution of cuprous oxide. With the selection of biomimetic structure, the hydrophobicity of the photocatalytic film was tunable that the photoreduction products were consequently varied. With the presence of hierarchical structure on the surface, the thermal stability of PI film was also enhanced. Therefore, the flexible photocatalytic film is a promising material for the application in the field requiring high mechanical and thermal stability, such as industrial flue-gas treatments.
Titanium dioxide- carbon nanotube (TiO2-CNT) composites are promising for application of photocatalysis. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a TiO2-CNTcomposite with reversible superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity for use in self-cleaning application.
The amount of TiO2 precursor, the added water, and the reaction time were systematically studied to obtain a TiO2 layer with desired thickness coated on the surface of CNT. In addition, the heat-treatment was utilized to control the crystalline structure of TiO2 and the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of resulting TiO2-CNT composites. The photocatalytic activity of the developed composites was evaluated by the photodegradation of a methylene blue (MB) solution under the illumination of ultraviolet (UV) light at ambient temperature.
Experimental results demonstrated that a layer of anatase TiO2 with thickness of 21nm, 27nm, or 65nm was successfully coated on the surface of CNT. The resulting TiO2-CNT composites are superhydrophobic, which the water contact angles ranged from 143o to126o based on the thickness of TiO2 layers. After subjected to a UV light, they became hydrophilic with a water contact angle less than 50o . Furthermore, the water contact angle of these TiO2-CNT composites restored to their original values without UV exposure, confirming they were with reversible superhydrophobicity and superhydrophilicity. Moreover, the developed TiO2-CNT composites also exhibited the capability of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB).
Conference Committee Involvement (5)
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XXII
27 April 2020 | Online Only, California, United States
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XXI
4 March 2019 | Denver, Colorado, United States
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XX
5 March 2018 | Denver, Colorado, United States
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XIX
26 March 2017 | Portland, Oregon, United States
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XVIII
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