We report the ZnO nanoparticle-templated formation of nanoporous carbon (NTC) embedded with TiO2 nanoparticles for the adsorption and photodegradation of organic pollutants in water. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies indicate that NTC and NTC-TiO2 exhibit two types of porosities with average pore diameters of 2.8 and 11.5 nm, while Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area analysis revealed the surface area of 302 and 230 m2/g, respectively. These materials exhibit fast adsorption kinetics against methylene blue, ofloxacin, and tetracycline in water. Exposure of NTC-TiO2 to UV-light results in higher contaminant adsorption due to the active photodegradation which prevents the saturation of the nanocomposite.
