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Design of Ag/ and Pt/TiO2-SiO2 nanomaterials for the photocatalytic degradation of phenol under solar irradiation

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Abstract

The design of hybrid mesoporous TiO2-SiO2 (TS1) materials decorated with Ag and Pt nanoparticles was performed. The photocatalytic degradation of phenol under artificial solar irradiation was studied and the activity and selectivity of the intermediate products were verified. TiO2-SiO2 was prepared by sol-gel method while Ag- and Pt-based photocatalysts (TS1-Ag and TS1-Pt) were prepared by photodeposition of the noble metals on TS1. Two series of photocatalysts were prepared varying Ag and Pt contents (0.5 and 1.0 wt%). An increase in the photocatalytic activity up to two and five times higher than TS1 was found on TS1-Ag-1.0 and TS1-Pt-1.0, respectively. Changes in the intermediate products were detected on Ag- and Pt-based photocatalysts with an increase in the catechol formation up to 3.3 and 6.6 times higher than that observed on TS1, respectively. A two-parallel reaction mechanism for the hydroquinone and catechol formation is proposed. A linear correlation between the photocatalytic activity and the surface concentration of noble metals was found indicating that the electron affinity of noble metals is the driven force for both the increase in the photoactivity and for the remarkable changes in the selectivity of products.

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Funding

Juan Matos thanks to Basal Chilean Program PFB-27, FAE-829, and CORFO-15IPPID-45676 project for the financial support. Biviana Llano thanks to the “Universidad de Antioquia, Comité para el Desarrollo de la Investigación—CODI” and to the “Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (Colciencias)-Programa de Doctorados Nacionales 2004” for the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hybrid and Carbon Materials Group, Bioenergy Department, Technological Development Unit (UDT), University of Concepcion, Av. Cordillera, 2634, Parque Industrial Coronel, Coronel, Bio Bio, Chile

    Juan Matos, Ricmary Montaña & Po S. Poon

  2. Grupo Procesos Químicos Industriales, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín, Colombia

    Biviana Llano

  3. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla (ICMS), Centro Mixto CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, C/Américo Vespucio 49, 41092, Sevilla, Spain

    Maria C. Hidalgo

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  1. Juan Matos
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  2. Biviana Llano
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  3. Ricmary Montaña
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  4. Po S. Poon
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  5. Maria C. Hidalgo
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Correspondence to Juan Matos or Biviana Llano.

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Matos, J., Llano, B., Montaña, R. et al. Design of Ag/ and Pt/TiO2-SiO2 nanomaterials for the photocatalytic degradation of phenol under solar irradiation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 18894–18913 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2102-3

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