Photocatalytic soot oxidation on TiO2 microstructured substrate

•Photocatalytic soot oxidation using TiO2 microstructured substrates was proposed.•Photon absorption in TiO2 substrate to generate electron-hole pairs was analyzed.•Soot oxidation rate on plain TiO2 substrates increased with substrate thickness.•Micropillar substrate showed enhanced soot oxidation rate.•Multiscale phenomena presented here can be optimized for further improvement.

Photocatalytic soot oxidation was investigated using TiO2 microstructured substrates. Plain and micropillar substrates of sintered TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared using a soft lithography process. Photon absorption analysis revealed substantial photon transmission for plain substrate within the current substrate thickness range (<2.5 μm). The porous structure of substrate was confirmed by electron microscopy and by dimensional changes due to sintering, allowing gaseous species and radicals to diffuse across micrometer-thick substrates. It was found that the soot oxidation rate increased with the thickness of the plain TiO2 substrate; this was related to the increase in electron-hole pair generation associated with increased photon absorption. The soot oxidation rate increased further with the use of TiO2 micropillars, enhancing photon absorption through multiple scattering. These multiscale phenomena in the photocatalytic soot oxidation on TiO2 microstructured substrates were analyzed.

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