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Role of SiO2 in TiO2/SiO2 photocatalyst for hydrogen peroxide gas generation from air humidity via photocatalysis

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Abstract

This work aims to study the production of hydrogen peroxide gas (H2O2) through photocatalysis. It consists of two main parts. In the first part, we explore the optimal conditions for synthesizing H2O2 gas from humidity using a gas system photoreactor. Through experimentation, we discovered that the fabricated photoreactor, equipped with three series of coated photocatalyst-supporting plates, can synthesize H2O2 gas up to 3 ppmv. The photoreactor incorporates key components, including a photocatalyst material, UV light source, ventilation fan, and air filter. The identified optimal conditions included a relative humidity of 60‒65% RH and an air flow rate of 12.0 m/s. The TiO2/1%SiO2 photocatalyst, composed of SiO2 particles smaller than 63 μm, yielded the most favorable results. The second part focused on studying the role of SiO2 in TiO2/SiO2. We observed that modifying the TiO2 morphology with SiO2 created a pore structure on the surface. This structural modification leads to the formation of Ti‒O‒Si bonds, which facilitate electron and hole trapping on the photocatalyst surface. Furthermore, the presence of hydroxyl groups on the surface enhanced the attraction of reactant molecules. XRD results reveal a mixed-phase structure of TiO2 (anatase‒rutile)/SiO2 amorphous, contributing to improved electron and hole pathways within the photocatalyst.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by Technopolis, Suranaree University of Technology. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the Synchrotron Light Research Institute (SLRI) and the Center of Excellence in Biomechanics Medicine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand

    Tanongsak Sukkasem, Aroonsri Nuchitprasittichai & Supunnee Junpirom

  2. Science Classrooms in University‒Affiliated School Project (SCiUS), Ratchasima Witthayalai School & Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand

    Nattapat Pulsawat, Poonyapath Khumronrith & Sirawit Photongngam

  3. Synchrotron Light Research Institute, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand

    Pattanapong Janphuang

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  1. Tanongsak Sukkasem
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Contributions

TS; writing—original draft, visualization, conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, methodology. NP; experimental section, formal analysis. PK; experimental section, formal analysis. SP; experimental section, formal analysis. AN; writing—review and editing. SJ; writing—review and editing, project administration. PJ; resources, methodology.

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Correspondence to Supunnee Junpirom.

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Sukkasem, T., Nuchitprasittichai, A., Junpirom, S. et al. Role of SiO2 in TiO2/SiO2 photocatalyst for hydrogen peroxide gas generation from air humidity via photocatalysis. J Incl Phenom Macrocycl Chem (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10847-023-01211-3

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