In-situ synthesis of phthalocyanines on electrospun TiO 2 nanofiber by solvothermal process for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.

Titanium dioxide/phthalocyanine (TiO 2 /Pc), TiO 2 /fluor containing phthalocyanine (TiO 2 /FPc), and TiO 2 /fluor containing cobalt phthalocyanine (TiO 2 /FCoPc) had been successfully fabricated by a simple combination of phthalocyanines obtained by in-situ synthesis on the surface of TiO 2 nanofibers prepared by electrospinning. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs and X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the phthalocyanines uniformly immobilized on the surface of TiO 2 nanofibers. Photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 , TiO 2 /Pc, TiO 2 /FPc, TiO 2 /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 TiO 2 /Pc, TiO 2 / FPc and TiO 2 /FCoPc exhibited high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue and TiO 2 /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.