Temperature-dependent photothermocatalytic mineralization of gaseous benzene based on rutile TiO_2 nanorod array

摘要

In this study, we successfully improved the photocatalytic mineralization of gaseous benzene by tuning up temperature from room temperature to 280℃. It was discovered that the mineralization rate of gaseous benzene (CO_2 generation) increased with temperature, while the oxidation rate first increased and then decreased. A mechanism is proposed in which the mineralization rate is promoted for more unoccupied reactive sites due to desorption of H_2O at an elevated temperature. However, the oxidation rate is first promoted by thermo-energy and then decreased due to weakened •OH-initiated oxidation of benzene due to less •OH on the surface at the elevated temperature.