Polyaniline (PAn) sensitized nanocrystalline TiO
2 composite photocatalyst (PAn/TiO
2) with high activity and easy separation was facilely prepared by in situ chemical oxidation of aniline from the surfaces
of the TiO
2 nanoparticles. The morphology, structure, and light absorption properties of composite photocatalyst were examined in term
of its application to photocatalysis. The photocatalytic activity of PAn/TiO
2 nanocomposites for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution was investigated and compared with pure TiO
2. The spectra analyses illustrated that, when PAn deposited on the surface of TiO
2, the crystalline behavior of PAn was hampered and the degree of crystallinity decreased, and the characteristic peaks of
the PAn were shifted indicating that there was a strong interaction between PAn and TiO
2 nanoparticles. PAn was able to sensitize TiO
2 efficiently and the composite photocatalyst could be activated by absorbing both the ultraviolet and visible light (
λ = 190–800 nm), whereas pure TiO
2 absorbed ultraviolet light only (
λ < 400 nm). Photocatalytic experiments showed that under natural light irradiation, MB could be degraded more efficiently
on the PAn/TiO
2 than on the pure TiO
2, due to the charge transfer from PAn to TiO
2 and efficient separation of e
−-h
+ pairs on the interface of PAn and TiO
2 in the excited state. More significantly, the PAn/TiO
2 composite photocatalyst exhibited easy separation and less deactivation after several runs. The advantages of the obtained
PAn/TiO
2 composite photocatalyst revealed its great practical potential in wastewater treatment.