Nanocarbons decorated TiO₂ as advanced nanocomposite fabric for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye and ciprofloxacin

In this research, C [graphene (Gr), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)] decorated TiO₂ nanostructures were developed and further utilized to modify textile to achieve high-performance photocatalytic degradation of mixed water pollutants including methylene blue (MB) dye and pharmaceutical active compound, Ciprofloxacin (CPF) on solar radiation exposure (∼10⁵ Lumens). The crystallite sizes of TiO₂, TiO₂-MWCNT, TiO₂-SWCNT, and TiO₂-Gr nanocomposites were observed in the 7.2–10.4 nm range. The bandgap, E_g of nanostructured C-TiO₂, was observed in the 3.09–3.14 eV range. The photocatalytic performance of C-TiO₂ showed almost complete removal of MB under the irradiation of the solar spectrum in just 120 min. Among C-based TiO₂ nanocomposites, nanostructured TiO₂-SWCNT showed the highest degradation efficiency of ∼98.86 % for MB dye. Further, the textile membrane showed a good degradation efficiency of 99.49 % for MB dye and 95.7 % for CPF within 120 min. An impressive removal efficiency of ∼93 % was observed for the mixture of MB and CPF solution due to a combination of several properties like surface groups (OH⁻ & O²⁻), low charge recombination rate due to CNTs, and small crystal size. This proof-of-the-concept study can be the potential platform to manage water quality according to sustainability goals.