Photodegradation of acetone vapor by carbon dots decorated TiO2catalyst: Effects of experimental conditions

Abstract

Being one of the most common volatile organic compounds (VOCs), acetone can be found in everyday products and high doses of acetone pose harmful effects on human health. Photocatalytic oxidation has captured the attention as an alternative feasible and cost-effective technology in treating VOCs. This study mainly focused on the photocatalytic performance of carbon dots (CDs) decorated TiO2 prepared using the microwave-assisted method in degrading acetone in a continuous flow under UVA irradiation at room temperature with various experimental conditions (initial concentrations, water contents and flow rates). The presence of carbon dots on the surface of TiO2 had improved the removal efficiency of the photocatalyst and maintained a good overall performance throughout the experiments. Significantly, the prepared CDs/TiO2 exhibited sustainable performance under the change of water contents which usually significantly impacts the performance of photocatalysts in general.