Evaluation of visible photocatalytic performance of microwave hydrothermal synthesis of MnO2/TiO2 core-shell structures and gaseous mercury removal

MnO2/TiO2 core-shell structure photocatalyst was prepared by a two-step microwave method. Under visible light irradiation, this core-shell photocatalyst exhibited enhanced catalytic activity for the degradation of organic dye Rhodamine B and the oxidative removal of gaseous heavy metal Hg0. The MnO2 shell not only enhanced the visible light absorption of TiO2, but also increased its specific surface area to 227.94 m2 g−1. In addition, the formation of core-shell heterojunction promotes the migration of carriers and the separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs, and improves the stability of the composite, thus enabling it to exhibit enhanced photocatalytic performance.