Physicochemical and Photocatalytic Properties of 3D-Printed TiO2/Chitin/Cellulose Composite with Ordered Porous Structures

In this study, we printed three-dimensional (3D) titanium dioxide (TiO2)/chitin/cellulose composite photocatalysts with ordered interconnected porous structures. Chitin microparticles were mixed with cellulose in the N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) solution to prepare the printing “ink”. TiO2 nanoparticles were embedded on the chitin/cellulose composite in the NMMO removal process by water before the freeze-drying process to build the 3D cellulosic photocatalysts with well-defined porous structures. The 3D-printed TiO2/chitin/cellulose composites were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Disperse Spectroscopy (EDS). The XRD and FTIR analyses showed that chitin had an interference effect on the crystal regeneration of cellulose and resulted in a large amount of amorphous phase. The SEM images show that the printed cellulosic strands had a hollow structure, and the EDS analysis showed that TiO2 nanoparticles were embedded on the chitin/cellulose composite surfaces. In the photocatalytic degradation process of methylene blue (MB) dye in an aqueous solution, the TiO2/chitin/cellulose 3D composite photocatalysts demonstrated efficient MB degradation activities with excellent reusability and stability, in which the chitin content performed the function of adjusting the MB degradation efficiency.