Facile fabrication of ordered mesoporous Bi/Ti-MCM-41 nanocomposites for visible light-driven photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and CO oxidation

Bi/Ti-MCM-41 nanocomposite was fabricated by a simple one-step impregnating approach. The composites have been exploited, for the first time, as a dual function catalyst for low-temperature CO oxidation under aerobic condition and a visible-light-driven photocatalyst for degradation of MB as organic pollutants. The promoting effect of bismuth species on Ti-MCM-41 has been investigated with the influence of introduced various Bi amount. It worth noting that the hexagonal mesostructured of Ti-MCM-41 remained unaltered and were not interrupted during the Bi deposition process. The bismuth species dispersed well and incorporated both within the mesochannel and the pore wall of Ti-MCM-41. The fabricated composite catalyst showed a significant catalytic performance compared to pristine Ti-MCM-41. The significant enhancement of the photodegradation performance of the Bi/Ti-MCM-41 composite could be assigned to the synergistic effects of interfaces between Bi2O3 species and TiO2. Therefore, the fabricated composite catalyst is a promising candidate for environmental applications.