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Photocatalytic TiO 2 Macroscopic Fibers Obtained Through Integrative Chemistry
Author(s) -
Kinadjian Natacha,
Le Bechec Mickael,
Pigot Thierry,
Dufour Fabien,
Durupthy Olivier,
Bentaleb Ahmed,
Prouzet Eric,
Lacombe Sylvie,
Backov Rénal
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
european journal of inorganic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1099-0682
pISSN - 1434-1948
DOI - 10.1002/ejic.201200731
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , chemistry , titanium dioxide , catalysis , mineralization (soil science) , chemical engineering , particle size , nanoscopic scale , heterogeneous catalysis , nanotechnology , materials science , organic chemistry , nitrogen , engineering
The photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide depend not only on its electronic properties, but also on the material size and shape, which can increase interactions between the reactants and catalyst. Most studies to date show that reducing the particle size down to the nanoscale increases photocatalytic efficiency, as a result of a higher surface to volume ratio and because a larger proportion of the material is actually irradiated by light. We demonstrate that a multiscale shape design, which integrates surface roughness, particle shape, and 1D material processing and orientation, can favor photocatalytic properties in the solid–gas regime, especially mineralization (conversion into CO 2 ), when the hierarchical 1D orientation of the material is combined with unidirectional gas flow. Several materials with hierarchical structure were prepared and characterized. They have been tested for the photocatalytic mineralization of gaseous acetone and compared with commercial catalysts. Our study reveals that a suitable combination of multiscale design and optimization of the material orientation and gas flow favors high mineralization.