A High-Performing Nanostructured Ir Doped-TiO₂ for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Gaseous Toluene

Abstract

TiO2-based photocatalysts still have some limitations such as large bandgap and low surface area, leading to low efficiency in the photocatalytic degradation of VOCs and limiting it to use in sunlight. Here we report that the nanostructured Ir-doped TiO2 as an efficient photocatalyst generates an excellent risk-reduction material of gaseous toluene. We have succeeded in developing a nanostructured Ir-doped TiO2 and initially found that excellent efficient photocatalytic VOC decomposition can be achieved in our materials The nanostructured Ir-doped TiO2 was synthesized by a one pot, low temperature hydrothermal process with different ratios of Ir doped into the TiO2. It exhibited a high surface area, uniformly spherical morphology of 10–15 nm. Its activity for the photocatalytic degradation of gaseous toluene exhibited up to 97.5% under UV light. This enhancement could be explained by iridium doping which created a high concentration oxygen vacancy and changed the recombination rate of the photogenerated charge carriers. More generally, our study indicates a strategic way to develop the novel nanostructured material for numerous applications.

Keywords

• photocatalysts
• Ir-doped TiO₂
• VOCs
• toluene