In-situ synthesis of phthalocyanines on electrospun TiO2 nanofiber by solvothermal process for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

Titanium dioxide/phthalocyanine (TiO2/Pc), TiO2/fluor containing phthalocyanine (TiO2/FPc), and TiO2/fluor containing cobalt phthalocyanine (TiO2/FCoPc) had been successfully fabricated by a simple combination of phthalocyanines obtained by insitu synthesis on the surface of TiO2 nanofibers prepared by electro-spinning. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the phthalocyanines uniformly immobilized on the surface of TiO2 nanofibers. Photocatalytic activity of TiO2, TiO2/Pc, TiO2/FPc, TiO2/FCoPc nanofibers for methylene blue in water was comparatively investigated firstly by ultraviolet-visible absorption measurements with time, and kinetic parameters were calculated. Results indicated that the obtained TiO2/Pc, TiO2/FPc and TiO2/FCoPc exhibited high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue and TiO2/FCoPc was found the best. It showed similar or higher activities than related studies and can be suggested as a promising candidate for environmental and energy applications.