TiO₂@UiO‐66 Composites with Efficient Adsorption and Photocatalytic Oxidation of VOCs: Investigation of Synergistic Effects and Reaction Mechanism

Abstract

Abstract TiO 2 @UiO‐66 composite with intimate contact interfaces is fabricated by in situ solvothermal methods. Compared with other UiO‐based composites, TiO 2 @UiO‐66 exhibits superior photocatalytic activity for oxidation of toluene into CO 2 during long‐time reaction under flowing conditions. This is because (1) the intimate contact interface and well‐matched band structure between TiO 2 and UiO‐66 can effectively separate and transfer photogenerated electrons; (2) the synergistic effect between UiO‐66 and TiO 2 promotes the adsorption of toluene and desorption of CO 2 and provides sufficient active sites for photocatalytic reaction. The toluene conversion and CO 2 production on 4TiO 2 @U are 3.27 and 4.10 times higher than that on UiO‐66, respectively. 4TiO 2 @U also shows the highest activity for formaldehyde and rhodamine B degradations. The in situ FTIR results exhibit that toluene can be oxidized by . O 2 − and h + to benzaldehyde and benzoic acid, then further oxidized to oxalic acid, and finally mineralized into CO 2 and H 2 O.