H2–O2 promoting effect on photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in an aqueous solution without an external H2 supply

To fabricate the H2–O2 promoting effect systems for quicker degradation of organic pollutants without an external H2 supply, we replace pure Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst by a cooperative catalyst composed of Pt/TiO2 and some assistant catalysts with water-splitting ability. When the cooperative catalysts were used for the photooxidation of organic pollutants under UV light irradiation, enhanced activities were observed for salicylic acid and phenol removal, except for formate, as compared to pure Pt/TiO2 catalyst. For different metal oxides as the assistant catalyst, an increase in the activity depended on their ability to promote H2 release. The fluorescence spectroscopy and photometric techniques combind with GC–MS were applied to investigate the cooperative system. Results revealed that more hydroxyl radical (OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were formed from the H2O molecules over a cooperative catalyst. A photodegradation mechanism of organic pollutants on a cooperative catalyst is proposed.

Graphical abstractA cooperative photocatalyst composed of Pt/TiO2 and a water-splitting catalyst such as NiO/NaTaO3:La exhibited efficient activity for the degradation of organic compounds in an aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. The activity was enhanced because the water molecules can be facilely transformed into the active oxygen species H2O2 and OH radical over Pt/TiO2 through the assistance of water splitting into H2 on NiO/NaTaO3:La.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (65 K)Download as PowerPoint slide