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Abstract: We for the first time report CdTiO3 nanofibers as an effective photocatalyst for the photodegradation of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) dye. One-dimensional CdTiO3 nanofibers with high aspect ratio have been successfully synthesized by the sol–gel electrospinning technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV–vis diffuse reflectance (DR) and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the synthesized nanofibers. The photocatalytic activity of the electrospun CdTiO3 was evaluated by performing photodegradation of R6G dye under UV light irradiation. Our results indicated that the CdTiO3 fibers were in nanometer scale with diameters ranging from of 350–400nm which consisted of rhombohedral structure. The superior photocatalytic activity of the CdTiO3 nanofibers calcined at 800°C for the degradation of R6G dye could be attributed to the high degree of crystallinity and absorption properties of the samples synthesized at high temperature. This study indicates the potential use of high aspect ratio CdTiO3 nanofibers for removal of industrial pollutants and noxious wastes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the present study rare earth doped (Ln3+–TiO2, Ln=La, Ce and Nd) TiO2 nanofibers were prepared by the sol–gel electrospinning method and characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, TEM, and UV-DRS. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by Rhodamine 6G (R6G) dye degradation under UV light irradiation. XRD analysis showed that all the synthesized pure and doped titania nanofibers contain pure anatase phase at 500°C but at 700°C it shows both anatase and rutile phase. XRD result also shows that Ln3+-doped titania probably inhibits the phase transformation. The diameter of nanofibers for all samples ranges from 200 to 700nm. It was also observed that the presence of rare-earth oxides in the host TiO2 could decrease the band gap and accelerate the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which eventually led to higher photocatalytic activity. To sum up, our study demonstrates that Ln3+-doped TiO2 samples exhibit higher photocatalytic activity than pure TiO2 whereas Nd3+-doped TiO2 catalyst showed the highest photocatalytic activity among the rare earth doped samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]