Pd/TiO2 @ Carbon Microspheres Derived from Chitin for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Volatile Organic Compounds

Facing the serious air pollution caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), highly efficient degradation and removal of VOCs have attracted great attention. To develop efficient novel photocatalysts, Pd/TiO2 @ carbon nanofibrous microspheres were constructed by carbonizing the TiO2/chitin microspheres, followed by immobilizing Pd nanoparticles on the TiO2/carbon microspheres via a green pathway. The composite microspheres were composed of carbon nanofibers, on which TiO2 nanoparticles and ultrasmall Pd nanoparticles with mean size of 1 nm were well immobilized and distributed, supported by transmission electron microscope and elemental mappings results. The Pd/TiO2 @ carbon microspheres were used for the gas phase photodegradation of VOCs. The results demonstrated that the conversion of toluene and benzene to CO2 and H2O reached 96.4% and 91.7%, respectively, which were higher than the reported values in the literature. The combination of TiO2 and Pd nanoparticles played an important role on the enhancement of the catalytic activity. Moreover, the Pd/TiO2 @ carbon microspheres could be recycled and reused. This work provided a new strategy to eliminate VOCs, which was beneficial to a sustainable world.