Photocatalytic degradation and dimerization of t-butyl alcohol by aqueous suspension of platinized titanium dioxide

Abstract

Photoirradiation (λex > 300 nm) of argon-purged aqueous suspension of platinized TiO2 containing t-butyl alcohol at 27 ± 3 °C led to the formation of hydrogen, methane, and ethane in the gas phase, and acetone, t-pentyl alcohol (PntOH), and 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol (2,5-DH) in the solution phase. While TiO2 without Pt showed little activity, the product yields increased linearly upon increasing the amount of Pt loading up to 10 wt%. The increasing concentrations of ButOH up to 0.2M enhanced the product yields, owing to the increase in the amount of adsorbed ButOH on the TiO2 surface. The acetone formation predominated in the presence of either oxygen or silver salt. Product distributions obtained by the γ-irradiation under N2O-saturated conditions and by treatment with Fenton's reagent were similar to that of the photocatalytic reaction by platinized TiO2.