TiO2 nanofibers fabricated by electrospinning technique and degradation of MO dye under UV light

Abstract Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning to optimize the photocatalytic action efficiency. The synthesis of the fibers was carried out at four different wt% concentrations: 8, 9, 10 & 11% of polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The TiO 2 fibers were further calcined at 700 °C to get powder form. The uncalcinated and calcined TiO 2 nanofibers were characterized by using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-Visible spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the rutile phase of the calcined TiO 2 nanofibers in powder form with a crystallite size of 34–38 nm. The surface morphology of the uncalcinated and calcined TiO 2 nanofibers was examined by SEM and the fiber diameter found to be 360–540 nm. The optical bandgap of the calcined TiO 2 nanofibers was found in the range of 3.29–3.24 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO 2 nanofibers as examined for uncalcinated and calcined nanofibers, methyl orange (MO) dye degraded up to 98 and 78%, respectively in 180 min under the exposure of UV light. Uncalcinated TiO 2 nanofibers were found more suitable for degradation of MO dye as compared to calcined nanofibers.