Conjugation-Grafted-TiO₂ Nanohybrid for High Photocatalytic Efficiency under Visible Light

Abundant and renewable solar light is an ideal resource for the industrial application of TiO2 photocatalysis in environmental purification. Over the past decades, the pursuit for visible-light photocatalysts with low cost, simple process, and high efficiency remains a challenging task. Here, we report a novel organic-inorganic nanohybrid photocatalyst (conjugation-grafted-TiO2) by chemically grafting conjugated structures onto the surfaces of TiO2 nanoparticles through controlled thermal degradation of the coacervated polymer layer. The interfacial C-O-Ti bonds between TiO2 and conjugated structures can act as the pathway to quickly transfer the excited electrons from conjugated structures to TiO2, therefore contribute to high visible-light photocatalytic efficiency. Our findings provide an economic route to prepare the conjugation-grafted-TiO2 nanohybrid, and develop a routine to improve the photocatalytic efficiency of organic-inorganic hybrid materials through the interfacial interaction.