Electrocatalytic oxidation of gaseous toluene in an all-solid cell using a foam Ti/Sb-SnO2/β-PbO_(2) anode

Mineralization of benzene,toluene,and xylene (BTX) with high efficiency at room temperature is still a challenge for the purification of indoor air.In this work,a foam Ti/Sb-Sn O2/β-Pb O_(2)anode catalyst was prepared for electrocatalytically oxidizing gaseous toluene in an all-solid cell at ambient temperature.The complex Ti/Sb-Sn O_(2)/β-Pb O_(2)anode,which was prepared by sequentially deposing Sb-Sn O_(2)and β-Pb O_(2)on a foam Ti substrate,shows high electrocatalytic oxidation efficiency of toluene (80%) at 7 hr of reaction and high CO_(2)selectivity (94.9%) under an optimized condition,i.e.,a cell voltage of 2.0 V,relative humidity of60%and a flow rate of 100 m L/min.The better catalytic performance can be ascribed to the high production rate of·OH radicals from discharging adsorbed water and the inhibition of oxygen evolution on the surface of foam Ti/Sb-Sn O_(2)/β-Pb O_(2)anode when compared with the foam Ti/Sb-Sn O_(2)anode.Our results demonstrate that prepared complex electrodes can be potentially used for electrocatalytic removal of gaseous toluene at room temperature with a good performance.

Acid-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of nanocrystalline TiO_2 from titanate nanotubes: Influence of acids on the photodegradation of gaseous toluene

In order to efficiently remove volatile organic compounds（VOCs） from indoor air, onedimensional titanate nanotubes（Ti NTs） were hydrothermally treated to prepare TiO2 nanocrystals with different crystalline phases, shapes and sizes. The influences of various acids such as CH3 COOH, HNO3, HCl, HF and H2SO4 used in the treatment were separately compared to optimize the performance of the TiO2 nanocrystals. Compared with the strong and corrosive inorganic acids, CH3COOH was not only safer and more environmentally friendly, but also more efficient in promoting the photocatalytic activity of the obtained TiO2. It was observed that the anatase TiO2 synthesized in 15 mol/L CH3COOH solution exhibited the highest photodegradation rate of gaseous toluene（94%）, exceeding that of P25（44%） by a factor of more than two. The improved photocatalytic activity was attributed to the small crystallite size and surface modification by CH3COOH. The influence of relative humidity（20%–80%） on the performance of TiO2 nanocrystals was also studied. The anatase TiO2 synthesized in 15 mol/L CH3COOH solution was more tolerant to moisture than the other TiO2 nanocrystals and P25.