H2–O2 promoting effect on photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in an aqueous solution without an external H2 supply Original Research Article

To fabricate the H2–O2 promoting effect systems for quicker degradation of organic pollutants without an external H2 supply, we replace pure Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst by a cooperative catalyst composed of Pt/TiO2 and some assistant catalysts with water-splitting ability. When the cooperative catalysts were used for the photooxidation of organic pollutants under UV light irradiation, enhanced activities were observed for salicylic acid and phenol removal, except for formate, as compared to pure Pt/TiO2 catalyst. For different metal oxides as the assistant catalyst, an increase in the activity depended on their ability to promote H2 release. The fluorescence spectroscopy and photometric techniques combind with GC–MS were applied to investigate the cooperative system. Results revealed that more hydroxyl radical (radical dotOH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were formed from the H2O molecules over a cooperative catalyst. A photodegradation mechanism of organic pollutants on a cooperative catalyst is proposed.