Gas‐phase removal of indoor volatile organic compounds and airborne microorganisms over mono‐ and bimetal‐modified (Pt, Cu, Ag) titanium(IV) oxide nanocomposites

Abstract

The photocatalytic deactivation of volatile organic compounds and mold fungi using TiO2 modified with mono‐ and bimetallic (Pt, Cu, Ag) particles is reported in this study. The mono‐ and bimetal‐modified (Pt, Cu, Ag) titanium(IV) oxide photocatalysts were prepared by chemical reduction method and characterized using XRD, XPS, DR/UV‐Vis, BET, and TEM analysis. The effect of incident light, type and content of mono‐ and bimetallic nanoparticles deposited on titanium(IV) oxide was studied. Photocatalytic activity of as‐prepared nanocomposites was examined in the gas phase using LEDs array. High photocatalytic activity of Ag/Pt‐TiO2 and Cu/Pt‐TiO2 in the reaction of toluene degradation resulted from improved efficiency of interfacial charge transfer process, which was consistent with the fluorescence quenching effect revealed by photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra. The photocatalytic deactivation of Penicillium chrysogenum, a pathogenic fungi present in the indoor environment, especially in a damp or water‐damaged building using mono‐ and bimetal‐modified (Pt, Cu, Ag) titanium(IV) oxide was evaluated for the first time. TiO2 modified with mono‐ and bimetallic NPs of Ag/Pt, Cu, and Ag deposited on TiO2 exhibited improved fungicidal activity under LEDs illumination than pure TiO2.

Hybrid TiO2–Polyaniline Photocatalysts and their Application in Building Gypsum Plasters

“…In comparison, for bare TiO 2 , the degradation rate was 4.80 ± 0.24 µmol•h −1 under the same conditions. Similar results were obtained in our previous study, on the degradation of toluene in the gas phase, over TiO 2 modified with Pt, Cu, and Ag particles [53]. For LEDs with an emission peak maximum at 400 nm (UV-Vis), bare titanium(IV) oxide exhibited significantly higher activity in comparison to metal-modified TiO 2 .…”

“…PANI particles may play the role of an inner filter, blocking the UV absorption of TiO 2 . Such an effect was observed in our previous results when the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 modified with noble metals nanoparticles was lower than bare TiO 2 [53,54]. On the other hand, polyaniline enhanced the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 under a wavelength longer than 420 nm.…”

“…For LEDs with an emission peak maximum at 400 nm (UV-Vis), bare titanium(IV) oxide exhibited significantly higher activity in comparison to metal-modified TiO 2 . However, under visible light irradiation with λ max = 460 nm, bare titanium(IV) oxide exhibited no activity, while metal-modified photocatalysts exhibited high activity resulted from the plasmonic excitations of metal nanoparticles on the TiO 2 surface [53].…”

Plasmonic Photocatalysts for Microbiological Applications

“…Recently, the fungicidal activity of Ag-modified titania has also been studied intensively. Although fungal cells are more complex than bacterial cells and quite resistant to antimicrobial agents, plasmonic photocatalysts have been proposed as effective fungicides [117,[124][125][126]. For example, the antifungal activity (C. albicans) of Ag-modified faceted titania (OAP) is much higher than that by OAP modified with other NMNPs (Cu, Au, and Pt), both under visible light and in the dark (ca.…”

Visible light responsive TiO2 photocatalysts for degradation of indoor acetaldehyde

“…Doping of TiO 2 with metal or non-metal elements is a well-known strategy for promoting the absorption of visible light (VL) by creating new energy levels in the band gap of TiO 2 . TiO 2 doped with Pt, 12 Mn, 1 Ir, 13 or C 4 and co-doped with C and V 14 or with N and Fe 2 have been reported as active photocatalysts for the degradation of CH 3 CHO under VL irradiation. There are many studies on photocatalysis of TiO 2 doped with other elements.…”