Structure and Photocatalytic Properties of Mn-Doped TiO2 Loaded on Wood-Based Activated Carbon Fiber Composites

Abstract

Mn-doped TiO2 loaded on wood-based activated carbon fiber (Mn/TiO2-WACF) was prepared by sol–gel and impregnation method using MnSO4·H2O as manganese source. The structure of Mn/TiO2–WACF was characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, N2 adsorption and UV–Vis, and its photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation was investigated. Results show that Mn-doped TiO2 were loaded on the surface of wood-based activated carbon fiber with high-development pore structures. The crystallite sizes of Mn-doped TiO2 in composites were smaller than that of the undoped samples. With an increase of Mn doping content, Ti–O bending vibration intensity of Mn/TiO2–WACF increased and then decreased. Moreover, Ti–O–Ti and Ti–O–Mn absorption peaks increased upon doping of Mn. Mn/TiO2–WACF with low specific surface area, and pore volume was improved at 3.5–6.0 nm of mesopore distributions due to the Mn-doped TiO2 load. In addition, the UV–Vis showed that Mn/TiO2–WACF (photodegradation rate of 96%) has higher photocatalytic activity than the undoped samples for methylene blue degradation under visible light irradiation.