Photocatalytic properties of TiO2 modified with platinum and silver nanoparticles in the degradation of oxalic acid in aqueous solution

The commercially available TiO2-catalyst (Degussa P25) was modified with nanosized platinum and silver particles by the photoreduction method to obtain different noble metal loading (0.5 and I wt.%). The characterization of the synthesized catalysts was carried out by the BET method, XPS, TEM and the adsorption of the model pollutant. The degradation of oxalic acid has been studied in aqueous solution photocatalyzed by band-gap-irradiated TiO2, modified with nanosized platinum or silver particles. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2, modified with noble metal, is approximately double that of the semiconducting support. The adsorption properties of the catalysts, as well as the noble metal content on the surface of the support, influence the efficiency of the photocatalytic process. The reaction rate of photocatalytic degradation of the oxalic acid follows a zero kinetic order according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The increase of the quantum yield of the photodestruction reaction of the studied model pollutant is due to the formation of Schottky barriers on the metal-semiconductor interface, which serve as efficient electron traps, preventing the electron-hole recombination. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.