The degradation of formaldehyde using a Pt@TiO2 nanoparticles in presence of visible light irradiation at room temperature

• Pt@TiO2 core–shell structure was fabricated by a reverse micelle sol–gel process.
• Pt@TiO2 displays excellent formaldehyde degradation capacity.
• Pt@TiO2 can be regenerated without significant change in HCHO degradation capacity.

A Pt@TiO2 core–shell material was prepared by a reverse micelle sol–gel method to develop an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of formaldehyde (HCHO). The properties of the photocatalytic materials were analyzed with UV–vis spectra, X-ray diffraction spectra, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and BEL-MINI adsorption analyzer. Photocatalytic capabilities of photocatalytic materials were investigated in degradation of formaldehyde in presence of visible light irradiation. The experimental result indicates that the Pt@TiO2 nanoparticles achieved 98.3% formaldehyde degradation, while TiO2 (P25), TiO2 (home made), and 1 wt% Pt/TiO2 (home made) achieved 92.4%, 75.2%, and 85.6% respectively. Thus, the Pt@TiO2 displayed excellent formaldehyde degradation efficiency. In addition, Pt@TiO2 can be used repeatedly without significantly changing their formaldehyde degradation capacities. Therefore, the Pt@TiO2 core–shell material has potential as a promising application in the field of formaldehyde degradation.