Carbon-Incorporated NiO/TiO2 Mesoporous Shells with p–n Heterojunctions for Efficient Visible Light Photocatalysis

Carbon-incorporated mesoporous NiO/TiO2 (NiO/TiO2/C) hybrid shells as low-cost and highly efficient visible light photocatalysts have been developed. The NiO/TiO2/C hybrid shells were synthesized by choosing polystyrene nanospheres as templates, followed by TiO2 and NiO coating, and finally the calcination post-treatment to carbonize PS with the aid of metal oxides. Polystyrene nanospheres serve dual purposes as both a template to ensure the hollow structure and the electrically conductive graphite carbon source. Evaluation of their photocatalytic activity by organic pollutes (rhodamine B, methylene blue, and phenol) degradation and H2 production under visible light demonstrated the superior photocatalytic performance, thanks to the enhanced visible-light absorption and exciton separation associated with the incorporation of electrically conductive graphite carbon.