Antimony oxide hydrate (Sb2O5•3H2O) as a simple and high efficient photocatalyst for oxidation of benzene

The development of high efficient and inexpensive photocatalyst for oxidation of indoor gaseous benzene is a big challenge. In this paper, a simple compound containing only one metal element named antimony oxide hydrate (Sb2O5 center dot 3H(2)O) is prepared by a facile hydrolysis-oxidation method. The photocatalytic activity for oxidation of benzene over Sb2O5 center dot 3H(2)O is investigated for the first time. The conversion ratio and mineralization of benzene are 35.0% and 55% over Sb2O5 center dot 3H(2)O, which are 3.5 and 5.5 times higher than that of P25. Reactive oxygen species, including Of and center dot OH, are detected by ESR experiments. The large amount of O-2 and long lived center dot OH over antimony oxide hydrate is the main reason for its good photocatalytic activity, and it is also proved that both O-2 and center dot OH are mainly origin from oxygen reduction. We believe that this energy saving, inexpensive and high efficient photocatalyst has potential industrial application value. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.