title: Hierarchically ordered macro-mesoporous TiO₂-graphene composite films: improved mass transfer, reduced charge recombination, and their enhanced photocatalytic activities.
abstract: Hierarchically ordered macro-mesoporous titania films have been produced through a confinement self-assembly method within the regular voids of a colloidal crystal with three-dimensional periodicity. Furthermore, graphene as an excellent electron-accepting and electron-transporting material has been incorporated into the hierarchically ordered macro-mesoporous titania frameworks by in situ reduction of graphene oxide added in the self-assembly system. Incorporation of interconnected macropores in mesoporous films improves the mass transport through the film, reduces the length of the mesopore channel, and increases the accessible surface area of the thin film, whereas the introduction of graphene effectively suppresses the charge recombination. Therefore, the significant enhancement of photocatalytic activity for degrading the methyl blue has been achieved. The apparent rate constants for macro-mesoporous titania films without and with graphene are up to 0.045 and 0.071 min(-1), respectively, almost 11 and 17 times higher than that for pure mesoporous titania films (0.0041 min(-1)).
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Multi-phase Complex Systems, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Xiaoyong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Nailiang
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kisailus
authors.forename: Fabing
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang