Photocatalytic degradation and dimerization of t-butyl alcohol by aqueous suspension of platinized titanium dioxide

Abstract

Photoirradiation (λ_ex > 300 nm) of argon-purged aqueous suspension of platinized TiO₂ containing t-butyl alcohol at 27 ± 3 °C led to the formation of hydrogen, methane, and ethane in the gas phase, and acetone, t-pentyl alcohol (Pn^tOH), and 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-diol (2,5-DH) in the solution phase. While TiO₂ without Pt showed little activity, the product yields increased linearly upon increasing the amount of Pt loading up to 10 wt%. The increasing concentrations of Bu^tOH up to 0.2M enhanced the product yields, owing to the increase in the amount of adsorbed Bu^tOH on the TiO₂ surface. The acetone formation predominated in the presence of either oxygen or silver salt. Product distributions obtained by the γ-irradiation under N₂O-saturated conditions and by treatment with Fenton's reagent were similar to that of the photocatalytic reaction by platinized TiO₂.