Preparation and characterisation of carbon-modified TiO2 composite

Carbon-modified TiO₂ composite was synthesised via the template method and multi-step calcinations by using a tinfoil package. The carbon-coated TiO₂ (C-TiO₂) composite was characterised via X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and N₂ sorption and thermogravimetry. TiO₂ was wrapped up in a carbon layer with a thickness of less than 1 nm. The specific surface area and pore volume of C-TiO₂ were 95.6 m²g^-1 and 0.247 cm³g^-1, respectively. The C-TiO₂ composite exhibited mesopore structures, showed preferable adsorption capacity for methyl orange and had a higher photocatalytic activity than its unmodified counterpart.