Nanostructured Active Media for Volatile Organic Compounds Abatement: the Synergy of Graphene Oxide and Semiconductor Coupling

Abstract

Among the semiconductor-mediated photoprocesses, gas-phase photocatalytic decomposition of volatile organic compounds represents one of the most valid and feasible options for improving air quality. The present work is meant to show the preparation, characterization, and testing of photocatalytic systems for enhancing the performance of TiO2-based nanostructured membranes, namely, the coupling of semiconductors and addition of cocatalysts. In particular, the use of an additional semiconductor (Ag2CO3) and coupling of graphene oxide have been found to be promising for this purpose. All of the photocatalytic media have been tested in a specifically designed photoreactor with respect to the abatement of acetaldehyde and methanol in the gas phase; the obtained results showed complete degradation of 1600 ppm of acetaldehyde and 600 ppm of methanol in less than 15 and 40 min, respectively. The morphology of the nanostructured membranes and affinity of the catalytic system with the polymeric matrix have been fou...