Continuous g-CN layer-coated porous TiO fibers with enhanced photocatalytic activity toward H evolution and dye degradation

TiO/g-CN composite photocatalysts with various merits, including low-cost, non-toxic, and environment friendliness, have potential application for producing clean energy and removing organic pollutants to deal with the global energy shortage and environmental contamination. Coating a continuous g-CN layer on TiO fibers to form a core/shell structure that could improve the separation and transit efficiency of photo-induced carriers in photocatalytic reactions is still a challenge. In this work, porous TiO (P-TiO)@g-CN fibers were prepared by a hard template-assisted electrospinning method together with the g-CN precursor in an immersing and calcination process. The continuous g-CN layer was fully packed around the P-TiO fibers tightly to form a TiO@g-CN core/shell composite with a strong TiO/g-CN heterojunction, which greatly enhanced the separation efficiency of photo-induced electrons and holes. Moreover, the great length-diameter ratio configuration of the fiber catalyst was favorable for the recycling of the catalyst. The P-TiO@g-CN core/shell composite exhibited a significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance both in H generation and dye degradation reactions under visible light irradiation, owing to the specific P-TiO@g-CN core/shell structure and the high-quality TiO/g-CN heterojunction in the photocatalyst. This work offers a promising strategy to produce photocatalysts with high efficiency in visible light through a rational structure design.