Novel fungal hyphae/Fe3O4 and N-TiO2/NG composite for adsorption and photocatalysis

Abstract

Nano TiO₂ particles are applied in photocatalysis but are difficult to recycle. Meanwhile, low light transmission and a lack of oxygen in solution also causes a decrease in photocatalytic efficiency. Here, we prepare a mycelium pellet to anchor TiO₂ particles, which can float on the surface of aqueous solutions and enrich organic materials. The mycelium pellet is a three-layered sphere, in which the innermost layer is fungal hyphae, the middle layer is fungal hyphae/Fe₃O₄, and the outer layer is fungal hyphae/N-TiO₂/NG. In comparison to TiO₂ particles, the mycelium pellet is not only convenient to recycle, but can also easily receive light and oxygen. The results of adsorption and photocatalytic activity tests clearly indicate that the floatable mycelium pellet could be a potential photocatalytic material for practical applications.