Electrochemical and gas-phase photocatalytic performance of nanostructured TiO2(B) prepared by novel synthetic route

The photocatalytic activity of TiO2(B) in a gas phase was evaluated using the total oxidation of propane with oxygen and the photocatalytic reduction of NO to N2 in an oxygen rich gas mixture. For the total oxidation of propane in the gas mixture containing 300 ppm propane and 20% oxygen, the reaction rates per 1 m2/g of the BET surface area of the catalyst for TiO2(B) prepared by our protocol and Hombifine N (anatase, SBET = 300 m2/g) are comparable. For the photocatalytic NO reduction to N2 in an atmosphere containing 20% oxygen the ratio of quantum yields for TiO2(B) and Hombifine N was found to be 0.08, which is roughly equivalent to the ratio of their BET surface areas (0.09), despite different phase composition of both materials. In comparison with the standard catalyst our material exhibited higher selectivity in the reduction of NO to N2.