Electrospun carbon-TiO₂ composite nanofibers for environmental photoelectrocatalysis

Hager S, Herbig B, Müller V, Dreßel AK, Dehm K, Mandel K, Wintzheimer S, Crisp R (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology Elsevier

Book Volume: 32

Article Number: 100278

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpap.2026.100278

Abstract

Electrospun nanofiber composites are a promising platform for integrating photocatalytic and electrocatalytic functionalities in environmental remediation technologies. In this study, we report the fabrication, structural characterization, and photo(electro)catalytic evaluation of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-derived carbon nanofibers embedded with TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs). The NPs are synthesized via two distinct routes: a hydrothermally assisted sol-gel process (SG) and commercial flame-pyrolyzed P25. Aiming for a direct comparison, both fiber types were produced using identical electrospinning conditions and were thermally converted into conductive NP-carbon composites. The fibers containing TiO2 from the SG process exhibit a more homogeneous TiO2 distribution, reduced agglomeration, higher surface area (200 m²/g vs. 78 m²/g), and superior photocatalytic degradation rates of a model organic contaminant, rhodamine B (RhB), outperforming P25-containing fibers even when normalized by surface area. Photoelectrochemical measurements further demonstrate enhanced reaction kinetics under a −0.55 V bias compared to photocatalytic or electrocatalytic conditions alone, confirming the viability of these nanofiber composites for integrated photoelectrocatalysis. These findings highlight the benefits of combining SG-NP synthesis with electrospinning to develop flexible high-performance materials for pollutant degradation applications.

Authors with CRIS profile

Simon Hager Lehrstuhl für Chemistry of thin film materials Valentin Müller Lehrstuhl für Partikelbasierte Materialchemie Katharina Dehm Lehrstuhl für Chemistry of thin film materials Karl Mandel Lehrstuhl für Partikelbasierte Materialchemie Susanne Wintzheimer
Ryan Crisp Lehrstuhl für Chemistry of thin film materials

Involved external institutions

Fraunhofer Institut für Silicatforschung (ISC) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Hager, S., Herbig, B., Müller, V., Dreßel, A.K., Dehm, K., Mandel, K.,... Crisp, R. (2026). Electrospun carbon-TiO₂ composite nanofibers for environmental photoelectrocatalysis. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, 32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpap.2026.100278

MLA:

Hager, Simon, et al. "Electrospun carbon-TiO₂ composite nanofibers for environmental photoelectrocatalysis." Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology 32 (2026).

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