pH-sensitive photocatalytic activities of TiO2/poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid) composite hydrogels

The pH-sensitive photocatalytic system was prepared by embedding TiO2 into poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel. Two different type TiO2/hydrogel composites, such as matrix and nanofiber, were prepared to investigate the morphological effects on the photocatalytic activity. TiO2 was distributed uniformly in the composite hydrogel and kept the original anatase structure without any structural change. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 was evaluated based on the efficiency of photobleaching of dye. The photobleaching of dye was improved greatly as the pH was changed into basic condition and the larger surface area of hydrogel was available for TiO2 by using nanofiber supports.