Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are commonly found in indoor spaces (e.g., homes or offices) and are often related to various illnesses, some of them with carcinogenic potential. The origins of VOC release in the indoor environment are in office products, building materials, electronics, cleaning products, furniture, and maintenance products. VOC removal can be done based on two types of technologies: adsorption in specific materials and decomposition via oxidative processes. The present article reports the development and photocatalytic activity of two heterostructures (Cu2S/WO3 and Cu2S/SnO2) used for indoor air decontamination. The acetaldehyde removal rate is discussed in correlation with the S-scheme mechanisms established between the heterostructure components but also comparatively with the bare catalysts’ activity. Acetaldehyde was considered as a VOC reference because it was found by the International Agency for Research on Cancer to be one of the most frequent air toxins with potential carcinogenic effects. The samples contained monoclinic WO3, tetragonal SnO2, and orthorhombic Cu2S crystalline structures. The Cu2S crystallite size in the heterostructure varied from 75.9 to 82.4 Å, depending on the metal oxide substrate. The highest photocatalytic efficiency (75.7%) corresponded to Cu2S/SnO2, with a constant rate of 0.106 s−1 (which was three times faster than WO3 or SnO2 and seven and a half times faster than Cu2S).
Highlights
The development of urban areas and industrial activities has significantly decreased indoor and outdoor air quality
The results indicated that a facile chemical route procedure can be employed to obtain efficient photocatalytic heterostructures able to work in the removal of toxic pollutants
The results indicate that all mono-component samples contained the crystalline structure corresponding to the designated semiconductor
Summary
The development of urban areas and industrial activities has significantly decreased indoor and outdoor air quality. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are commonly found in indoor spaces (home or office) and are often related to various illnesses, some of them with carcinogenic potential [1,2,3]. The adsorption technique is able to capture the pollutant molecules into the sorbent media in a stable form because of the formation of chemical or physical bindings. This method is commonly used in office spaces but has as disadvantages the fast sorbent saturation and removal capability [7,8]. The sorbent must be carefully treated and disposed in special containers, considering the contaminant’s hazard potential [9,10]
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