TiO2 Composite Catalysts Research Articles

Preparation of Cu2O/ g-C3N4-modified TiO2 composite catalysts by a two-step method: degradation of RhB in sunlight

Preparation of Cu2O/ g-C3N4-modified TiO2 composite catalysts by a two-step method: degradation of RhB in sunlight

Enhancing catalytic performance of TiO2/P-doped C3N4 composite via preferentially bonded P-O-Ti

Optimizing photocatalyst structure at the atomic level is a crucial challenge in improving photocatalytic performance. Herein, a series of TiO2/P-doped C3N4-pinned composites have been synthesized to optimize photocatalyst structure at the atomic level. Among the nonmetals (P, C, and N) in P-doped C3N4 (CN-P), TiO2 preferentially bonds with P to form stable P-O-Ti chemical bonds that can act as efficient carrier transfer channels. Comprehensive correlations between P-O-Ti bond features, defects, carrier kinetics, and photocatalytic activity have been studied theoretically and experimentally. Photocurrent-time curves and distribution of relaxation times analysis reveals that preferentially bonded P-O-Ti improves carrier separation and transfer. The special P-O-Ti interface bonds endows composites TiO2/P-doped C3N4 with multifunctional photocatalysis properties, i.e., hydrogen production (815 µmol g−1 h−1), and completely reducing heavy metal ions Cr (VI) (10 min ) under visible light (λ > 400 nm) irradiations, which outperforms most of existing CN-P and TiO2 composite catalysts, as well as excellent degradation performance for organic contaminants. More importantly, the composite with optimal composition shows a superior stability and repeatability in ten cycles of testing. These findings provide valuable hints in optimizing photocatalyst structure at the atomic level for enhancing carrier dynamics and improving photocatalytic performance necessary for applications under visible light.

A stable and robust electrode using Copious metal oxide composite for green hydrogen production

AbstractThe exploration of inexpensive and copious materials for water splitting has not come to an end even though a lot of materials has been synthesised to cope with the high overpotential and Tafel slope. The present manuscript demonstrates fabrication and performance studies of Co3O4 and TiO2 composite (CTC) catalyst coated electrode for electrochemical water splitting. The use of CTC (Co3O4@TiO2) showed the band gap of 2.41 eV which is found to be suitable for efficient water splitting reaction. The electrode fabrication was done using CTL coated FTO glass that provided a stable cathodic electrode for overall water splitting. The detail electrochemical studies of CTC electrode were performed in 1 M KOH electrolyte solution in a three‐electrode system. The CTC exhibited lowest Tafel slope value for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of 51 mV/dec and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of 166 mV/dec, calculated at 10 mA/cm2. Moreover, the highest current density 66.59 mA/cm2 at 0.20 V and 85.84 mA/cm2 at 1.85 V was observed for HER and OER, respectively. The significantly low overpotential 104 mV for HER and 240 mV for OER at 10 mA/cm2 depicted the efficiency of catalyst. The chronoamperometry study showed no significant loss in the activity CTC coating upto 32 h. Thus, the CTC coated electrode is found to be an excellent, stable and robust electrocatalyst for economical green H2 production.

Boosting electrocatalytic oxygen reduction performance of Co[sbnd]N[sbnd]C catalysts on Ti3C2 MXene by the synergistic effect with oxygen vacancy-rich TiO2

Construction of multiphase nanocomposites is an effective way to develop high performance oxygen reduction catalysts. Herein, Ti3C2 MXene supported CoNC and oxygen vacancy-rich TiO2 (ov-TiO2) composite catalyst (CoNC/TiO2-Ti3C2) is prepared by coordination and polymerization of dopamine and Co2+ on the surface of Ti3C2 nanosheets and subsequent heating treatment. The oxygen vacancies on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles can stabilize the CoNC catalysts as well as promote the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on them. Therefore, CoNC/TiO2-Ti3C2 exhibits good ORR activity and durability, even better than the commercial Pt/C catalyst. In contrast, Ti3C2 supported CoNC catalyst without ov-TiO2 (CoNC/Ti3C2) shows decreased ORR activity, indicating the significance of the synergistic effect of CoNC and ov-TiO2. In a practical application, CoNC/TiO2-Ti3C2 exhibits a large power density (155.3 mW cm−2) and extraordinary long-term rechargeability as the air cathode for Zn-air batteries. This strategy of in-situ growth of cocatalysts on Ti3C2 MXene provides a new way for the preparation of high-performance non-noble metal catalysts.

Photocatalytic degradation of chlorazol yellow dye under sunlight irradiation using Ce, Bi, and N co-doped TiO2 photocatalyst in neutral medium.

Chlorazol yellow (CY) is a commonly used anionic, toxic, mutagenic, and potentially carcinogenic azo dye, which is menacing to the environment, aquatic system, food chain, and human health as well. To remove CY dye molecules from an aqueous medium, a series of Ce, Bi, and N co-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by varying the composition of the dopants. Under sunlight irradiation, the resultant 5 wt% (Ce-Bi-N) co-doped TiO2 composite catalyst was found to show the best catalytic activity. Hence, the required characterization of this catalyst was performed systematically using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. From the thorough investigation, it is revealed that the CY molecules reached adsorption-desorption equilibrium onto the surface of the catalyst within 30min following second-order kinetics. Herein, the catalyst attained 97% degradation when exposed to sunlight at neutral (pH ~ 7, [CY] = 5mg L-1) medium. The developed catalyst can destruct CY molecules with a maximum rate of 23.1µg CY g-1min-1 and the photodegradation kinetics follows first-order kinetics below 23.5mg L-1, a fractional order between 23.5 and 35.0mg L-1, and a zeroth order above 35.0mg L-1 of CY concentration. Finding from scavenging effect implies that [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] radicals have significant influence on the degradation. A suitable mechanism has been proposed with excellent stability and verified reusability of the proposed photocatalyst.

Preparation of a Z-Type g-C3N4/(A-R)TiO2 Composite Catalyst and Its Mechanism for Degradation of Gaseous and Liquid Ammonia.

In this study, an (A-R)TiO2 catalyst (ART) was prepared via the sol-gel method, and g-C3N4 (CN) was used as an amendment to prepare the g-C3N4/(A-R)TiO2 composite catalyst (ARTCN). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption curves (BET), UV-Vis diffuse absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and fluorescence spectroscopy (PL) were used to evaluate the structure, morphology, specific surface area, optical properties, and photocarrier separation ability of the catalysts. The results showed that when the modifier CN content was 0.5 g, the dispersion of the ARTCN composite catalyst was better, with stronger light absorption performance, and the forbidden band width was smaller. Moreover, the photogenerated electrons in the conduction band of ART transferred to the valence band of CN and combined with the holes in the valence band of CN, forming Z-type heterostructures that significantly improved the efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole migration and separation, thus increasing the reaction rate. Gaseous and liquid ammonia were used as the target pollutants to investigate the activity of the prepared catalysts, and the results showed that the air wetness and initial concentration of ammonia had a great influence on the degradation of gaseous ammonia. When the initial concentration of ammonia was 50 mg/m3 and the flow rate of the moist air was 0.9 mL/min, the degradation rate of gaseous ammonia by ARTCN-0.5 reached 88.86%, and it had good repeatability. When the catalytic dose was 50 mg and the initial concentration of NH4+ was 100 mg/L, the degradation rate of liquid ammonia by ARTCN-0.5 was 71.60% after 3 h of reaction, and small amounts of NO3- and NO2- were generated. The superoxide anion radical (·O2-) and hydroxyl radical (·OH) were the main active components in the photocatalytic reaction process.

Enhanced photocatalytic performance for hydrogen production and carbon dioxide reduction by a mesoporous single-crystal-like TiO2 composite catalyst

Enhanced photocatalytic performance for hydrogen production and carbon dioxide reduction by a mesoporous single-crystal-like TiO2 composite catalyst

Enhanced photothermal catalytic performance of dry reforming of methane over Ni/mesoporous TiO2 composite catalyst

Developing new highly efficient catalytic technique is critical for solar photo -thermal -chemical conversion. Among kinds of techniques, photothermal catalysis attracts an increasing attention. In this paper, a Ni/mesoporous TiO2 photothermal catalyst was prepared and applied for methane dry reforming reaction under high temperature environment. Catalytic activities of the prepared catalyst were investigated in a homemade fixed bed photothermal reactor under different temperatures and lighting conditions. And mechanism of photothermal synergistic effect was characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM), BET, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–Vis-Nir spectrophotometer and Photoluminescence spectra. The results shown that (1) Catalytic activity of the prepared photothermal catalyst in present work performs better than the public reported catalysts in literatures. (2) Comparisons of light and dark experiments of different catalysts proved that the synergistic effect of photothermal catalysis could significantly improve the formation rates of products, and increase the conversions of reactants. The reason is attributed to the formation of Ni-TiO2 heterogeneous structure, which can broaden the optical response range of incident light, as well as enhance the separation of excited e−/h+ pairs in the semiconductor TiO2. (3) Increasing lighting intensity could enhance the formation rates of CO/H2 correspondingly. (4) Compared to catalytic performances of the catalyst under ultraviolet and visible-near-infrared conditions, full spectrum incident light could improve the formation rates of products under the cooperative effect of different spectrum. The testing results indicate that utilizing photothermal synergistic effects to realize the process intensification is beneficial and instructive for the future solar photo -thermal -chemical conversion.

An Effective Magnetic Catalyst for Oxidative Desulfurization of Model and Real Fuels: Fe3O4/ZIF-8/TiO₂

In the current research, an advanced and innovative composite based in zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) incorporating magnetic and effective oxidative catalytic properties was successfully used to prepare ultra-low sulfur model and real fuels by oxidative desulfurization (ODS) process. To this purpose, the surface of ZIF-8 was decorated by TiO 2 and Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) to prepare the composite catalyst (Fe₃O₄/ZIF-8/TiO₂). Structural characterization was performed by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDS, TEM, N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm and VSM. TEM images showed that the semi-spherical TiO 2 and Fe 3 O 4 NPs are fairly doped. The effect of TiO 2 and Fe 3 O 4 NPs incorporated in ZIF-8 support allowed an efficient catalytic oxidative desulfurization of model fuel (500 ppm of dibenzothiophene, DBT) and real fuels (gasoline, diesel, among others) using tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant under a solvent-free system. Optimization studies were performed and complete desulfurization of model fuel was found after 6 h using O/S = 3 at 80 °C, instead of the 33% of desulfurization obtained with the pristine ZIF-8. Under optimized conditions, sulfone was the only product observed. The stability and the recycle capacity of the Fe₃O₄/ZIF-8/TiO₂ composite catalyst was confirmed and after ten consecutive ODS cycles only a slight decrease of desulfurization efficiency was detected (around 10%). Therefore, the results here presented confirm that the magnetic catalyst conciliates efficiency, stability and easy recovery, that are essential properties for future industrial application. • Magnetic catalytic composite has been prepared based on ZiF-8 support. • Fe 3 O 4 /ZIF-8/TiO 2 presents high catalytic efficiency for oxidative desulfurization of model and real fuels. • Solvent-free oxidative catalytic system was successfully used. • Complete desulfurization was achieved after 6 h using O/S = 3. • Catalyst presented high stability and recycle capacity for 10 consecutive desulfurization cycles.

The use of titanium dioxide particles embedded in anionic hydrogel composite for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

AbstractPoly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propane sulfonic acid) (p(AMPS)) anionic hydrogels with 1, 5 and 10 wt% TiO2 particles were prepared by a simultaneous free radical polymerization and crosslinking reaction. The hydrogel composites were tested as photo‐catalysts for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in water. Since MB dye is positively charged, MB should be readily absorbed by the anionic p(AMPS) hydrogel and then degraded by the entrapped TiO2 nanoparticle photocatalysts within the p(AMPS) matrix. Photocatalytic degradation of MB was promoted using a UV lamp (300 W) to activate TiO2 particles and was monitored by UV–Vis spectrometer. Interestingly, the activation energy of 20.58 kJ.mol−1 was found to be one of the lowest reported in the literature. The reusability and regeneration efficiency studies of the composite catalyst showed that the p(AMPS)‐TiO2 composite catalyst possessed 90% activity even after five repetitive use and maintained above 85% activity even after the second regeneration. Using different organic scavengers such as ascorbic acid, dimethylsulfoxide and methanol, it was determined that the main reactive species in the photodegradation of MB dye are electrons and superoxide ions. p(AMPS)‐TiO2 composite hydrogel has potential to be used as a good photocatalyst in degradation of toxic dyes and some organic pollutants.

As(III) Oxidation Mediated By Reactive Oxygen Species in-Situ-Generated from Pre-Photocharged TiO2 and WO3 Composite Catalyst Membrane Filters

The photocatalytic oxidation system has been widely investigated as a pretreatment process for efficient removal of arsenic. However, its practical use for the arsenite (As(III)) oxidation is limited by several problems such as low oxidation efficiency under dark condition and difficult separation of catalysts from treated water. This study investigated light-charged TiO2 and WO3 (TW) composite-embedded inorganic membrane filter system as a practical method for preoxidative treatment of As(III) even without the addition of chemical oxidants under dark condition. And this study demonstrated that reactive oxygen species (ROSs ; O2 ·- and HO2 ·) in pre-photocharged TW composite catalyst membrane filter. TW membrane filters were charged under UV or simulated solar light (AM 1.5; 1 sun) irradiation and subsequently transferred to a once-through flow type system for testing As(III) oxidation in the dark condition. The As(III) oxidation efficiency increased with increasing photocharging time, weight ratio of WO3 and solution pH. These conditions enable the sufficient generation of ROSs via O2 reduction using electrons accumulated in TW during pre-photocharging for achieving the effective oxidation of As(III) in the dark condition. The oxidation capability of TW system was completely recovered after re-photocharging. TW-embedded membrane filter system can be easily reused after recharging process without the requirement of additional physical separation steps under ambient dark condition.

Optimization of Redox Functionality Profiles of MoO3–V2O5/ TiO2 Composite Catalysts in Relation to Various Dispersion Patterns

Optimization of Redox Functionality Profiles of MoO3–V2O5/ TiO2 Composite Catalysts in Relation to Various Dispersion Patterns

Carbonaceous–TiO2 materials: unique morphologies for photocatalytic applications

Semiconductor photocatalysts has become one of the most attractive technologies in the field of environmental remediation. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is widely concerned due to the potential applications in the degradation of organic dyes. Nonetheless, the inherent wide band gap of TiO2 has been proved to restrict the photocatalytic activation under visible light, and a variety of strategies have been attempted to develop TiO2 composite catalysts with short band gap compositions, such as carbonaceous nanomaterials. In the recent progress, the present review attaches more importance to the unique morphology and fickle structure of carbonaceous–TiO2 photocatalysts, among which there are sandwich-like structure, foam-like structure, core–shell structure, nanotube, nanorod structure, semi-wrapped structure, etc., and all of them have been demonstrated in this paper. Furthermore, reviews of the enhanced mechanisms, synthesis method and performance comparison of carbonaceous–TiO2 photocatalysts reported in the literature are also suggested and conducted. In brief, this work provides some novel insights for the preparation of TiO2 composites as photocatalysts with excellent performance and contributes to promoting their application in environmental protection issues.

Nano Silver-Iron-Reduced Graphene Oxide Modified Titanium Dioxide Photocatalytic Remediation System for Organic Dye

The organic water contaminant, methyl orange contaminant (M.O), has shown a hazardous increase in our water systems over the past few years due to its increasing demand in industrial processes. The photocatalytic degradation of the commercial dye was studied through the application of modified TiO2 composite catalysts in aqueous solution under artificial irradiation. The improvement of photocatalytic activity is strongly affected by the various functional groups emerging in the organic substances. In this work, the effect of both silver-iron and silver-iron-reduced graphene oxide-modified titanium dioxide towards M.O remediation as a cost-effective photocatalyst was investigated. We confirmed that the novel AgFe functionalized TiO2 catalyst (AgFe-TiO2) showed more superior remediation activity than the reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-modified TiO2 due to the decreased band gap from 3.02 eV–2.5 eV with increased photocatalysis. Based on the spectroscopic and microscopic results, the enhanced photocatalytic degradation of M.O dye was induced by its enhanced surface area, electron diffusion, and the reduction of photo-generated electron-hole pairs’ recombination.

G-C3N4/TiO2 composite catalysts for the photo-oxidation of toluene: Chemical and charge handling effects

The interaction between carbon nitride and titania in g-C3N4/TiO2 materials is analyzed from a new perspective. The composite materials are prepared using a well crystallized anatase substrate over which carbon nitride (0.5–4 wt%, promoted or not with Mn) is deposited. The catalysts are characterized using a multitechnique approach. In addition, a kinetic formalism using a rigorous intrinsic expression of light was developed in order to reveal information concerning the chemical and charge carrier effects occurring in the materials. Together with the measurement of the adsorption of the main organic molecules involved in the reaction showed that toluene photo-oxidation follows a hydroxyl-mediated mechanism. Moreover, the work shows that the rate of available hydroxyl radicals at the surface of the solids controls activity in the g-C3N4/TiO2 catalysts. The contact between components also affects the hydroxyl radical interaction with the reactant and intermediate molecules of the photo-oxidation, modulating the selectivity.

Solvothermal synthesis of WO3 /TiO2 /carbon fiber composite photocatalysts for enhanced performance under sunlight illumination.

Carbon fiber (CF)-based WO3 /TiO2 composite catalysts (WO3 /TiO2 /CF) were successfully synthesized by solvothermal method. The catalysts were characterized by XPS, SEM, BET, XRD, FTIR, Raman and UV-Vis. The analyses confirmed the WO3 /TiO2 nanoparticles with high crystallinity deposited on the carbon structure. The photocatalytic degradation of Orange II azo dye under UV and sunlight illumination with the synthesized catalyst was explored. The composite catalyst displayed high performance (85%) for Orange II degradation while that of for WO3 /TiO2 was found as 76%. The effects of CF amount, solution pH, initial dye concentration and catalyst dose on photocatalytic performance were studied. It was found that the degradation efficiency increased from 68% to 90% with the increasing CF amount from 3 wt% to 5 wt%, while the further increase in CF amount (7-10 wt%) decreased the photodegradation due to the blocking the active sites of WO3 /TiO2 . The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency was mainly attributed to the electrical properties of the CF and reduced bandgap.

A magnetically separable and recyclable Ag-supported magnetic TiO2 composite catalyst: Fabrication, characterization, and photocatalytic activity

In this study, a magnetically separable, highly active, and recyclable photocatalyst was synthesized by physico-chemical incorporation of Ag, TiO2, and Fe3O4 into one structure. The physical and chemical properties of the catalysts were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, field emission transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The Ag-supported magnetic TiO2 composite demonstrated desirable properties and features such as a narrow band gap of 1.163 eV, modifiable structure, and high degradation efficiency. The activity and durability of the synthesized photocatalyst in the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solutions under visible light irradiation and different experimental conditions were evaluated and compared to those of commercial TiO2 and Ag/TiO2 composites. It was found that the synthesized composite showed a much higher MO photodegradation efficiency than the other composites under visible light irradiation. Moreover, it exhibited a high photocatalytic activity and was recoverable and durable; its photocatalytic efficiency in MO removal was consistently higher than 93.1% after five reuses without any evident signs of deactivation. Thus, the developed photocatalyst is a very promising material for practical applications in environmental pollution remediation.

Mn-Ce-V-WOx/TiO2 SCR Catalysts: Catalytic Activity, Stability and Interaction among Catalytic Oxides

A series of Mn-Ce-V-WOx/TiO2 composite oxide catalysts with different molar ratios (active components/TiO2 = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.6) have been prepared by wet impregnation method and tested in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by NH3 in a wide temperature range. These catalysts were also characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), in situ Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (in situ FTIR), H2-Temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show the catalyst with a molar ratio of active components/TiO2 = 0.2 exhibits highest NO conversion value between 150 °C to 400 °C and good resistance to H2O and SO2 at 250 °C with a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) value of 40,000 h−1. Different oxides are well dispersed and interact with each other. NH3 and NO are strongly adsorbed on the catalyst surface and the adsorption of the reactant gas leads to a redox cycle with the valence state change among the surface oxides. The adsorption of SO2 on Mn4+ and Ce4+ results in good H2O and SO2 resistance of the catalyst, but the effect of Mn and Ce are more than superior water and sulfur resistance. The diversity of valence states of the four active components and their high oxidation-reduction performance are the main reasons for the high NO conversion in this system.

Superhydrophilic and self-cleaning rGO-TiO2 composite coatings for indoor and outdoor photovoltaic applications

The rGO-TiO2 composite catalysts were successfully synthesized by adopting a simple solvothermal method followed by heating at mild condition of 300°C for 1h, in which graphene oxide (GO) was converted to reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Spin coating technique was used for coating TiO2 and rGO-TiO2 composite catalysts on Indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass resulting in high transparency of about 75%. The rGO content was varied to optimize the activity of the catalysts. These synthesized catalysts were characterized by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, Raman, Fourier transformed infrared and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectral techniques, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The anatase phase of TiO2 was successfully achieved with crystallite size of less than 6.7nm. Incorporation of spherical TiO2 particles on rGO resulted in reduction of band gap from 3.05 to 2.74eV. The interaction of TiO2 with rGO sheet decreased the rate of electron-hole pair recombination and also facilitated the efficient transfer of electrons from TiO2 to rGO. 0.5wt% rGO loaded TiO2 composite coatings showed highly efficient superhydrophilicity and self-cleaning property of decontaminating the adsorbed pollutants under simulated solar light irradiation within 30min. A threefold higher photocurrent was generated by rGO-TiO2 composite catalyst coating than pristine TiO2 coating. This work affords a new pathway for efficient utilization of solar energy by using our synthesized catalysts for indoor as well as outdoor applications.

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A by tourmaline–TiO2 composite catalyst

The TiO2 supported on tourmaline composite catalyst was successfully prepared by a sol–gel method and was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis. The results showed that the addition of tourmaline increased crystallite sizes of TiO2. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the tourmaline–TiO2 composites obtained was evaluated by the degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). Compared with bare TiO2, the tourmaline–TiO2 composites exhibited the excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of TBBPA and this degradation enhanced was correlated with the tourmaline dosages and the optimum photocatalyst is found to be T(20%)-TiO2 catalyst. It implied that the higher dosage of tourmaline facilitated migration of charge carriers and higher photon-to-electron conversion efficiency. The photocatalytic reaction followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. The photodegradation efficiency of TBBPA enhanced with the increase in pH value. Additionally, metal ions influenced the photocatalytic degradation of TBBPA by T(20%)-TiO2 catalyst, Cu2+ could accelerate TBBPA degradation, whereas inhibited by Mn2+ and Fe3+. Importantly, five intermediate products of TBBPA at m/z 463, 355, 293, 255 and 137 were observed by HPLC–MS/MS. The possible photodegradation pathway of TBBPA by tourmaline–TiO2 composite catalyst was proposed. Generally, the incorporation of mineral with spontaneous permanent poles to TiO2 with photocatalytic activity offers a promising technology to the practical application of TiO2 in contamination control.