Alkaline treatment as a means to boost the activity of TiO(2)in selective photocatalytic processes
In this work, the activity enhancement of TiO(2)photocatalysts by alkaline treatment has been investigated. Commercial (BDH, U.K., anatase phase) TiO(2)samples, treated in alkaline solutions of NaOH at different concentrations and temperatures, were tested for the photocatalytic partial oxidation of 3-pyridinemethanol in water under UVA irradiation to form vitamin B-3. Photocatalyst characterization has been carried out by XRD, BET, TEM, TGA, photoluminescence, FTIR, Raman, DRS, EPR and photocurrent measurements. The alkaline-treated samples showed an increased activity of up to 7 times (by considering first order rate constant values) compared to untreated BDH and the superior performance …
The Existence of Nitrate Radicals in Irradiated TiO 2 Aqueous Suspensions in the Presence of Nitrate Ions
Evidence of the existence of nitrate radical in irradiated aqueous TiO2 suspensions in the presence of nitrate ions are reported for the first time. The joint use of UV/Vis and EPR spectroscopy showed that nitrate radicals are formed by hole induced oxidation of nitrate ions. Photocatalytic degradation of a model alkene compound allowed to highlight the presence of an intermediate organic nitrate deriving from nitrate radical attack to the double bond of the substrate. These results not only allow deeper understanding of photocatalytic processes, but open the route to new green photocatalytic syntheses initiated by nitrate radicals and to new insights in the field of atmospheric chemistry.
Role of Hydroxyl, Superoxide, and Nitrate Radicals on the Fate of Bromide Ions in Photocatalytic TiO2 Suspensions
The influence of bromide ions on systems containing highly reactive radical species is of great interest for environmental remediation, atmospheric chemistry, and the synthesis of high-added-value ...