Study of 2-Propanol Photocatalytic Degradation on Surface of Phase-Ratio-Controlled TiO2 Nanoparticles

The crystal form of TiO₂ is a crucial focus of research on the photocatalytic degradation of gaseous pollutants by TiO₂-based composite photocatalysts. To explore the synergistic effect of mixed crystalline TiO₂ on gaseous organic-pollutant photocatalytic degradation, we synthesized a series of TiO₂ nanoparticles with controllable phase ratios. We explored the role of the TiO₂ phase ratio on the photocatalytic activity and degradation pathway in the photodegradation of 2-propanol (IPA). We estimated the crystallite size and crystal proportions of anatase and rutile by X-ray diffraction. We used the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method to calculate the specific surface area and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to characterize the surface chemistry of the samples. Our results show the photocatalytic activities of pure anatase and the sample with 8.6% rutile to be much better than those of the samples with a phase junction and pure rutile. As such, anatase is the better option for the study of photodegradation design and preparation of gas-phase organic pollutants.