Preparation, Characterization, and Photoactivity of Polycrystalline Nanostructured TiO2 Catalysts.

Various preparations of nanostructured TiO2 starting from Ti(iso-OC3H7)4 or TiCl4 are reported. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, specific surface area and porosity determinations, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. 4-Nitrophenol photodegradation in aqueous medium was employed as a probe reaction to test the photoactivity of the catalysts. The photoactivity of some samples derived from Ti(iso-OC3H7)4 was found comparable with that of commercial powders. Calcination after the hydrolysis process was necessary to achieve crystallization of the particles before using them as photocatalysts for the reaction studied. The samp…

Local structure of the supported Keggin and Wells-Dawson heteropolyacids and its consequence on their (photo)catalytic activity

Photoassisted Mineralization of Aromatic and Aliphatic N Heterocycles in Aqueous Titanium Dioxide Suspensions and the Fate of the Nitrogen Heteroatoms

Abstract The photoassisted degradation of aromatic heterocycles (pyrrole, imidazole, pyrazole, isoxazole, oxazole and thiazole) and N-containing alicycles (aliphatic heterocycles: pyrrolidine, 4-butanelactam and 5-pentanelactam) was examined in liquid–solid dispersions. Complete mineralization (TOC) of the aromatic heterocycles was attained within ca. 1 h of UV irradiation of the TiO 2 /heterocycle system in acidic (pH 3), near-neutral (pH 6.0–7.6) and alkaline (pH 11) media. Mineralization kinetics were, in general, not appreciably influenced by the presence of acid but tended to be somewhat slower in alkaline media. N-alicycles were photomineralized more slowly than were the aromatics. Th…

The role of water in the photocatalytic degradation of acetonitrile and toluene in gas-solid and liquid-solid regimes

Photocatalytic degradation of acetonitrile and toluene was carried out both in gas-solid and in liquid-solid regimes by using commercialTiO2samples (Merck and Degussa P25). The investigation was mainly aimed to study the influence of water present in the reaction environment on the mechanism and degradation rate of two probe molecules. In gas-solid regime, the reacting mixture consisted of toluene or acetonitrile, oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapour. The main degradation product of toluene wasCO2with small amounts of benzaldehyde. In the presence of water vapour, the activity ofTiO2Merck remained stable but greatly decreased if water was absent.TiO2Degussa P25 continuously deactivated, even …