Shin SH, Chun HH, Jo WK. Enhanced Photocatalytic Efficiency of N-F-Co-Embedded Titania under Visible Light Exposure for Removal of Indoor-Level Pollutants.
MATERIALS 2014;
8:31-41. [PMID:
28787922 PMCID:
PMC5455237 DOI:
10.3390/ma8010031]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2014] [Accepted: 12/01/2014] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
N-F-co-embedded titania (N-F-TiO₂) photocatalysts with varying N:F ratios were synthesized and tested for their ability to photocatalyze the degradation of pollutants present at indoor air levels using visible light. The synthesis was achieved using a solvothermal process with tetrabutyl titanate, urea and ammonium fluoride as sources of Ti, N and F, respectively. Three selected volatile organic compounds (toluene, ethyl benzene and o-xylene) were selected as the test pollutants. The prepared composites were characterized using X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Ultra-violet (UV)-visible spectroscopy. The photocatalytic degradation efficiencies of N-F-TiO₂ composites were higher than those obtained using pure TiO₂ and N-TiO₂. Moreover, these efficiencies increased as the N:F ratio decreased from sixteen to eight, then decreased as it dropped further to three, indicating the presence of an optimal N:F ratio. Meanwhile, as retention time decreased from 12.4 to 0.62 s, the average photocatalytic efficiencies decreased from 65.4% to 21.7%, 91.5% to 37.8% and 95.8% to 44.7% for toluene, ethyl benzene and o-xylene, respectively. In contrast, the photocatalytic reaction rates increased as retention time decreased. In consideration of all of these factors, under optimized operational conditions, the prepared N-F-TiO₂ composites could be utilized for the degradation of target pollutants at indoor air levels using visible light.
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