LAUSR

Incorporation of carbonaceous templates (CT) into TiO2 composites is a promising alternative to increase the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. In this work, the effects of carbon sphere (CS) and carbon nanotube (CNT) incorporation (as CT) in TiO2 composites were thoroughly investigated and the roles of these CTs as template, cocatalyst, and adsorbent were studied. To this end, three different methods were utilized to form a layer of TiO2 on the CT: alcoholic phase sol–gel, aqueous phase sol–gel, and hydrothermal. The role of CT as template was examined through morphology analysis of the prepared composites. The cocatalyst and adsorbent roles of CT were investigated based on photocatalytic hydrogen production from glycerol. Interestingly, it was found that the incorporation of CNT into TiO2 composite can approximately double the rate of hydrogen production (i) in the absence of Pt or (ii) at low glycerol concentration. Accordingly, it was concluded that in addition to being a template, the CNT can play two ...