Synthesis and characterization of TiO2/C Janus composite particles and its photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B

Janus materials with anisotropic chemical structures and physical properties have attracted increasing attention due to their diversified potential applications. In this paper, titanium dioxide/3-(trimethoxysilyl) propylmethacrylate (TiO 2 /MPS) was obtained by swelling assisted with extrusion of PS@TiO 2 . Then, the phenolic resin (PF) was coated on the surface of MPS lobe. Finally, TiO 2 /C Janus composite particles were obtained by sintering at the atmosphere of nitrogen. The middle objects during reactive process and the final product were systematically characterized. Results showed that the Janus porous particles of TiO 2 /C were snowman-like structure, in which the average diameter of the carbon lobe was 178 nm and that of TiO 2 lobe was 226 nm. When used as photocatalysts for Rhodamine B degradation in aqueous solution under UV irradiation, the resulted Janus product exhibited more efficient photocatalytic activity than TiO 2 hollow microspheres. Graphical abstract Schematic illustration of swelling polymerization approach to synthesize TiO 2 /C Janus composite particles and its photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B