Abstract: A carbon-modified titanium dioxide photocatalyst, PF/TiO₂, was prepared by calcining self-prepared phenolic resin (PF) and TiO₂ in N₂ atmosphere. The as-prepared PF/TiO₂ samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. PF/TiO₂ has similar crystal phase and morphology to raw TiO₂ and has significant absorption in the visible region. The XPS observed the presence of C_n, C–OH(C–O–C), and C=O(COO) species, which confirms that there is graphite carbonaceous matter on the surface of PF/TiO₂. During the calcination, the phenolic resin on the surface of PF/TiO₂ has been carbonized. The photocatalytic performance of PF/TiO₂ under visible light was evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange. The photocatalytic activity of PF/TiO₂ is greatly higher than that of bare TiO₂. The PF dosage for preparing PF/TiO₂ with the highest visible light photocatalytic activity is 2%, corresponding to a carbonaceous matter content of 1.33% in PF/TiO₂.

Key words: titania, phenolic resin, carbon modification, photocatalysis, visible light