| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46086 | Applied Catalysis B: Environmental | 2012 | 8 Pages |
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an emerging persistent organic pollutant and receives increasing concerns due to its global occurrence and resistance to most conventional decomposition methods. In2O3 nanoporous nanospheres (NPNSs) with uniform size (∼100 nm) were obtained by calcining nanoporous InOOH/In(OH)3 nanospheres and its photocatalytic activity for PFOA decomposition were evaluated. The InOOH/In(OH)3 precursor was self-assembled from ultrathin nanoplates (∼2 nm) in an ethylenediamine-assisted alcohol-thermal system. The In2O3 NPNSs possessed a high value of specific surface area (39.0 m2 g−1) and a large number of nanopores (∼6 nm). Compared with commercial In2O3 nanocrystals (NCs) and TiO2 (Degussa P25), In2O3 NPNSs showed a remarkable photocatalytic activity to decompose PFOA with the half-life of 7.1 min. The first-order rate constant of PFOA by In2O3 NPNSs was nearly 9 and 54.6 times higher than that by In2O3 NCs and TiO2 respectively. The superior activity of In2O3 NPNSs for PFOA decomposition can be attributed to its nanoporous structure, large specific surface area, and direct reaction between the photogenerated hole and PFOA.
Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Uniform In2O3 nanospheres synthesized by a solvothermal method. ► In2O3 nanospheres were self-assembled with ultrathin nanoplates. ► In2O3 nanospheres possess high surface area (39 m2 g−1) and nanopores at 6 nm. ► In2O3 nanospheres are highly active for PFOA, 54.6 times higher than TiO2. ► The half-life of PFOA decomposition was shorten to 7.1 min.
