Degradation of gas-phase toluene by $TiO_2$ loaded on carbon fibers using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) under UV irradiation

$TiO_2$ thin films were prepared on C fibers, and photocatalytic activity of these films for removing gas-phase toluene was studied. $TiO_2$ films were deposited on C fiber with 0.5 A-per-cycle growth rate by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) using TTIP (titanium tetra-isopropoxide) and $H_2O$ as precursors. The catalysts were characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) for surface area and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for morphology, respectively. Moreover, the samples were further characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). As a function of $TiO_2$ thickness, no significant change in the photocatalytic activity could be identified. Interestingly, the bare-carbon fiber showed an even higher photocatalytic activity than the $TiO_2$ thin films for removing toluene. Origin of the high photocatalytic activity of the bare C fiber is discussed.