Promotion effect of CuO co-catalyst on WO3-catalyzed photodegradation of organic substances

CuO was found to be an effective co-catalyst for WO3-catalyzed photodegradation of acetaldehyde to CO2 under visible light. Loading CuO on WO3 also markedly promoted the photodegradation of other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, and diethyl ether. CuO appears to accelerate the oxygen-reduction process in the dark, and a reaction mechanism that the enhancement of reactivity was caused by this acceleration is proposed.