| Title: | Graphene-TiO(2) hybrids for photocatalytic aided removal of VOCs and nitrogen oxides from outdoor environment |
| Author(s): | Tobaldi DM; Dvoranova D; Lajaunie L; Rozman N; Figueiredo B; Seabra MP; Skapin AS; Calvino JJ; Brezova V; Labrincha JA; |
| Address: | "Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitario de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. Institute of Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Radlinskeho 9, Bratislava SK-812 37, Slovak Republic. Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingenieria Metalurgica y Quimica Inorganica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus Rio San Pedro S/N, Puerto Real 11510, Cadiz, Spain. Instituto Universitario de Investigacion de Microscopia Electronica y Materiales (IMEYMAT), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus Rio San Pedro S/N, Puerto Real 11510, Cadiz, Spain. Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, Dimiceva 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Graphenest, Lugar da Estacao, Edificio Vouga Park, 3740-070 Paradela do Vouga, Portugal" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cej.2020.126651 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1385-8947 (Print) 1385-8947 (Electronic) 1385-8947 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Outdoor and indoor air pollution has become a global concern in modern society. Although many policies and regulations on air quality have been promulgated worldwide over the past decades, airborne pollution still negatively affects health and therefore the life-style of human beings. One of the strategies to challenge this problem might be reducing the amount of airborne pollutant by mineralising them via photoinduced reactions. Photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous pollutants via titanium dioxide is one of the most promising solar photochemical reactions. In this research work, by means of a green sol-gel procedure, we have coupled titania to graphene (0.5 and 1.0 wt%) aiming to increase the solar photocatalytic activity of the produced hybrid materials. Transient paramagnetic species formed upon UV-A irradiation were detected by means of EPR spectroscopy. The photocatalytic reactions were assessed by monitoring the removal of nitrogen oxides and two different volatile organic compounds (benzene and isopropanol), which has never been assessed before. Our results highlight the exceptional characteristics of the TiO(2)/graphene hybrid material synthesised with 1.0 wt% graphene, and its excellent suitability for multi-purpose applications in the field of environmental remediation. Compared to unmodified titania, it shows a clear enhancement in the photocatalytic removal of those hazardous pollutants, having a photocatalytic degradation rate twice higher. In addition, the same material is highly stable and shows fully recyclability over repeated tests. Hybrid titania-graphene materials could thus be exploited to grant safer outdoor and indoor environments, having thus a beneficial impact on public health and on the quality of our lives" |
| Keywords: | Air pollution Graphene Nitrogen oxides Solar photochemical reaction Volatile organic compounds; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINETobaldi, D M Dvoranova, D Lajaunie, L Rozman, N Figueiredo, B Seabra, M P Skapin, A Sever Calvino, J J Brezova, V Labrincha, J A eng Switzerland 2020/08/25 Chem Eng J. 2021 Feb 1; 405:126651. doi: 10.1016/j.cej.2020.126651. Epub 2020 Aug 13" |
