Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Trichloroethylene Mineralization with High CO<sub>2</sub> Selectivity.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41739087.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c06386.
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Abstract
Sunlight-driven photocatalytic oxidation, using ambient air as the oxidant, offers a sustainable route for removing chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethylene (TCE). Yet, practical implementation is hindered by low reaction rates and undesirable product selectivity. Here, we present a material design strategy that overcomes both challenges. Size-controlled anatase TiO<sub>2</sub> nanocrystals with truncated bipyramid (nanoTBP) morphology achieve exceptional photocatalytic activity for TCE degradation, comparable to rates reported for energy-intensive thermal catalysis, with unoptimized CO<sub>2</sub>/CO product ratios. Decorating as-synthesized TiO<sub>2</sub> with Pt nanoparticles significantly enhances the CO<sub>2</sub> selectivity but significantly diminishes the overall reaction rates. To resolve this rate-selectivity trade-off, we integrate Pt/TiO<sub>2</sub> with pristine TiO<sub>2</sub> into an optimized composite photocatalyst, unlocking a tandem pathway that enables both rapid degradation and complete mineralization of TCE to CO<sub>2</sub> under solar irradiation. Taken together, this work establishes a scalable, solar-enabled, materials-based strategy for complete gas-phase mineralization of TCE, with broader implications for novel and sustainable VOC treatment processes.