Efficient combined sorption/photobleaching of dyes promoted by cellulose/titania-based nanocomposite films

Photocatalysts are usually confined in a substrate to prevent their dispersion and facilitate their subsequent removal from the environmental compartment after remediation, thus, resulting in portable and “green” photocatalytic platforms. If the substrate is well designed, it can retain target pollutants close to the photocatalyst particles increasing photocatalytic efficiency. This study discloses a simple modification of conventional paper, a green and sustainable support, with a polyamide-titanium dioxide nanoparticles composite and its evaluation in photocatalysis. The material offers a high sorption capacity (2.1 μg/cm2) towards the selected model pollutant, methyl orange, allowing its isolation from a contaminated media. Additionally, a remarkable photocatalytic degradation both under UV and visible light (sunlight) was observed at short times of irradiation (typically 20–40 min). According to the results, the cellulosic substrate seems to play a crucial role in the process. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd