Photocatalytic Degradation of Benzene Derivatives on TiO2 Catalyst

The photocatalytic degradation of some benzene derivatives over TiO2 (Phenol, Chlorobenzene and Toluene) in aqueous medium is compared to the reaction of the benzene. The rates of disappearence fit Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics and the parameter k has been determined. The electronic effect of the substituent is responsible of the kinetic of photodegradation of the aromatic compound and can lead to particular modes of adsorption on catalyst: more reactivity is observed with an electron-donating substituent. New concepts for new photocatalysts can then be defined by doping foreign materials into TiO2 photocatalyst.