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 in-situ synthesis on the surface of TiO₂ nanofibers prepared by electrospinning. 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.