Surface decoration of commercial micro-sized TiO2 by means of high energy ultrasound: A way to enhance its photocatalytic activity under visible light

• Surface decoration of micro-sized TiO2 by means of high-energy ultrasound.
• Decorated micro-sized TiO2 powders were tested as photocatalysts for VOC abatement.
• Toluene and acetone degradation were monitored under UV and visible light.
• W, Re, Cu and Mo nanoparticles onto TiO2 surface.

Although the TiO2 is one of the most promising materials for its photocatalytic potential related to the pollution abatement, it strongly suffers from the low photocatalytic activity if it is used under visible light and not under UV light. Among the various possible modifications, the surface decoration with metal or metal oxides NPs can be a good strategy to increase the potential of TiO2 in the visible range. In this paper, a sonochemical method that exploits the use of high-energy ultrasounds is suggested to obtain this surface decoration. The support is a commercial and micrometric TiO2, cheaper and easier to handling than the nanometric P25. Samples were tested on the photodegradation of toluene and acetone in a gas phase system, using both the UV and LED lamp.

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