Sub-Nano Pt/β-FeOOH Quantum Dots for Photocatalytic Removal of Toluene: Catalyst Design, Preparation, and Benefits

Photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants under solar irradiation at room temperature is considered an energy-saving technique of environmental remediation. However, photocatalysis is impeded by the poor response to visible light and fast charge recombination. In this work, sub-nano Pt/beta-FeOOH quantum dots (QDs) were designed to shorten the charge migration path and obtain wide light harvesting. Interestingly, the crystalline beta-FeOOH QDs can be obtained by loading sub-nano Pt particles via a reconstruction mechanism of amorphous FeOOH induced by H-2 spillover, which facilitates the fast kinetics of charge transition and benefits the oxygen-rich surface of the catalyst for photocatalytic oxidation reactions. Moreover, the Pt-V-O-Fe interfaces were proved to be the most active sites for the activation of O-2. As a result, the catalyst exhibits a predominant photocatalytic performance in toluene oxidation, achieving a TOFPt of 0.591 min(-1) at room temperature under visible light irradiation. This work provides a new perspective on the design and preparation of nanocatalysts for high-efficient photocatalysis under visible light irradiation.

Automated summary

The study designs sub-nano Pt/beta-FeOOH quantum dots for enhanced photocatalytic oxidation reactions. The catalyst improves the photocatalytic process by shortening the charge migration path and increasing light absorption. It shows excellent performance in toluene oxidation at room temperature.