Photocatalytic decomposition of 4-nitrophenol over titanium silicalite (TS-1) catalysts Original Research Article

Titanium silicalite zeolites (TS-1) having Si/Ti ratios of 3.3, 13.7, and 26.3 were synthesized and used as photocatalysts for decomposition of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in aqueous solution. In the dark, the adsorption of 4-NP on TS-1 changed greatly depending on the Si/Ti ratio in TS-1 and the pH of the solution. The amount of 4-NP adsorbed on TS-1 increased with increasing Si/Ti ratio and decreasing pH of solution. The photocatalytic activities of TS-1 zeolites for the decomposition of 4-NP were found to be greatly affected by H2O2. In the absence of H2O2, the TS-1 having lower Si/Ti ratio, and consequently containing a larger amount of extra framework titanium, exhibited higher photocatalytic activity. In contrast, in the presence of H2O2, the TS-1 with higher Si/Ti ratio, in which the titanium content is lower while the fraction of framework titanium is higher, showed a higher increase in photocatalytic activity. Especially in acid conditions, the addition of H2O2 to the reaction solution results in a remarkable enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of TS-1; the apparent rate constant increased with increasing Si/Ti ratio. Such results suggest that, upon UV illumination, radical dotOH radicals can be formed easily from the titanium-hydroperoxide species that are formed by the interaction of framework titanium in TS-1 with H2O2. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of TS-1 for the decomposition of 4-NP by the addition of H2O2 can be attributed to both the efficient formation of radical dotOH radicals and the close proximity of radical dotOH radicals to the reactant molecules.