Mechanism and performance of a p-n Ag2O/TiO2 S-scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous benzene

Abstract

Efficient photocatalytic degradation of volatile aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzene, remains a major challenge in photocatalytic air purification due to their highly stable π-conjugated structures and large ring-opening energy barriers. To address this, a series of Ag2O/TiO2 S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts (denoted as AT–x, where x represents the mass ratio (%) of Ag2O to TiO2) is synthesized. In the AT-x S-scheme heterojunction, the Ag2O acts as the reduction photocatalyst and TiO2 as the oxidation photocatalyst. The mechanisms behind the AT-4 photocatalyst's performance, specifically its surface potential variations and directional charge transfer, are definitively established through a combination of DFT calculations and direct experimental evidence from UPS, in-situ KPFM, and in-situ EPR. The optimized AT-4 sample exhibits outstanding photocatalytic oxidation performance toward gaseous benzene under dynamic flow conditions, achieving 94.4 % removal efficiency at 1 ppm, with a kinetic rate of 46.3 µmol g−1 h−1 and an apparent quantum yield of 0.06 %. The identification of key intermediates (e.g., ortho-/para-phenolate, benzoquinone, methylene, acetate, and maleate) via in-situ DRIFTS analysis further supports the proposed degradation pathway. Overall outcomes of this work should help in the construction of advanced heterojunction systems toward efficient photocatalysis of aromatic hydrocarbons in air.