Influence of high energy electron beam treatment on the photocatalytic activity of $TiO_2$ nanoaparticles on carbon fiber

$TiO_2$ nanoparticles were grown on carbon fiber by atomic later deposition (ALD) with TTIP $(Ti(OCH(CH_3)_2)_4$ and $H_2O$ precusors. After sampe surfaces were treated by electron beam (1 MeV, 5 KGy), an improvement in the photocatalytic reacitivity of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles on carbon fiber was observed. An increase in the population of hydroxyl group on $TiO_2$ particles and the oxidation of carbon fiber were found upon e-beam exposure, whereas there was no noticeable changes of their morphology. It implies that those changes in O and C 1s state of $TiO_2$ particles/carbon fiber induced by e-beam treatment could be related to the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity. In contrast, when carbon fiber fully covered with $TiO_2$ thick films was treated with high-energy electron beam under same conditions, the improvement of photocatalytic activity as well as any changes in XPS spectra (Ti 2p, O 1s and C 1s) could not be found.