Coupling of photocatalysis and catalysis using an optical fiber textile for room temperature depollution

Herein, we investigate the interplay between a photocatalyst (TiO2) and a catalyst (Pt/TiO2 and Pt/CeO2) for the oxidation of formaldehyde and toluene at room temperature. A luminous textile is used as support and as light source for the photocatalyst. Our results indicate that the presence of the catalyst and the photocatalyst increases the catalytic performance for the oxidation of formaldehyde, while the photocatalytic performance for toluene oxidation decreases. The overall performance (toluene and formaldehyde degradation) of the system can be optimized with respect to the choice of support for the catalyst (e.g. TiO2 or CeO2), the quantity of Pt used, and the ratio between the catalyst and photocatalyst. In addition, different configurations of the photocatalyst and the catalyst on the textile are studied: under leaching and flow-through gas streams, catalyst and photocatalyst deposition on the same and opposite site of the textile are tested. The performance of the system can be optimized by adapting a configuration where the gas stream goes through the textile, while the deposition side of the catalyst and/or photocatalyst with respect to the gas stream is of minor importance.

Automated summary

This study investigates the interaction between a photocatalyst (TiO2) and a catalyst (Pt/TiO2 and Pt/CeO2) in the oxidation of formaldehyde and toluene at room temperature. The presence of the catalyst and photocatalyst enhances the catalytic performance for formaldehyde oxidation but decreases the photocatalytic performance for toluene oxidation. The overall performance of the system can be optimized by selecting the support material for the catalyst, controlling the amount of Pt used, and adjusting the ratio of catalyst to photocatalyst. Different configurations of the photocatalyst and catalyst on the textile are also studied, with the gas stream passing through the textile being the most effective.