Photocatalytic decomposition of benzene enhanced by the heating effect of light: improving solar energy utilization with photothermocatalytic synergy

Abstract

In the photocatalytic oxidation of benzene over BiVO₄/TiO₂, some deactivation was observed at 30 °C, while stable activity was maintained at higher temperatures. To further take advantage of the heating effect during photocatalysis, Pt was loaded onto the BiVO₄/TiO₂ sample, owing to its excellent performance in thermocatalysis. The results show that the Pt/BiVO₄/TiO₂ sample with a Pt loading amount of 1.0 wt% has the best activity in the oxidation of benzene, compared with others containing loading amounts of 0.2, 0.5 and 2.0 wt%. Benzene can be totally oxidized at 80 °C with an obvious photothermocatalytic synergetic effect, whose mechanism is discussed and summarized as three main paths. In this case, the heating effect of infrared light from a light source can be helpful in photocatalysis, which is an inspiration for increasing the availability of solar energy.