Photooxidation of 4-chlorophenol sensitized by lutetium tetraphenoxy phthalocyanine anchored on electrospun polystyrene polymer fiber

An electrospun polystyrene (PS) fiber incorporating tetraphenoxy phthalocyanine complex of lutetium (LuTPPc/PS) as a photosensitizer was applied for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol in aqueous solution in the presence of visible light. The photocatalytic activity of the LuTPPc in the fiber was compared to that of zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) incorporated into the PS fiber, and the former showed higher activity. UV-Vis spectral changes of sample solutions indicated transformation of the analyte with first order kinetics and half-lives that are within one and half hours for LuTPPc/PS. Products identified from the spectral changes and gas chromatography were benzoquinone, hydroquinone and 4,4'-dihydroxydiphenol suggesting that the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol was through both Types I and II mechanisms. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.