Synergistic effect of multiple reactive oxygen species via orbital-reconstructed tungsten for indoor acetaldehyde photocatalytic oxidation

Abstract

The visible-light photocatalytic elimination of indoor acetaldehyde, a prevalent volatile organic compound, remains a significant challenge. Despite that tungsten oxide photocatalysts emerge as promising catalysts for acetaldehyde degradation indoors, their energy band structure often limits the removal performance by favoring the generation of a single reactive oxygen species. Herein, we showed a 5d orbital-reconstructed tungsten-based photocatalyst induced by g-C3N4 support, notably enhancing acetaldehyde elimination under visible light. Experimental and theoretical findings demonstrated that the 5d orbital reconstruction induced an upward shift in the unoccupied orbital of tungsten site, thereby facilitating the generation of superoxide radicals. Furthermore, hydroxy radicals can efficiently convert acetaldehyde into acetic acid, followed by the rapid elimination of acetic acid intermediates. This synergistic effect among multiple oxygen species significantly amplifies acetaldehyde elimination indoors, and offers new insights into the interactions between reactive species and pollutants in photocatalytic environmental applications.