Facile and efficient route to polyimide-TiO2 nanocomposite coating onto carbon fiber.

Polyamic acid-TiO(2) hybrid colloid emulsion with an average particle size of 200 nm was formed by dispersing nano-TiO(2) into polyamic acid colloidal emulsion. The polyimide-TiO(2) nanocomposite was coated onto carbon fiber by electrophoretic deposition. The primary properties of polyamic acid-TiO(2) hybrid colloid emulsion and polyimide-TiO(2) nanocomposite coating onto carbon fiber were characterized using laser scattering, ZetaPlus particle sizing, transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscope, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray Diffraction analysis. The results indicated that the small amount of nano-TiO(2) would be effectively dispersed in polyamic acid colloidal particles. The polyimide-TiO(2) hybrid nanocomposite coating carbon fiber sheet displayed an excellent photodegradation performance of methyl orange, which could be degraded more than 70 wt % after 10 cycles.