A mechanism of the photocatalytic decomposition of 2,4-dinitrophenol on TiO2 immobilized on a glass surface

A reaction mechanism of the photocatalytic decomposition of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) on TiO2 immobilized on a glass surface is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The experimental results show that (1) the DNP concentration decreases linearly in the same manner; (2) the initial rate of decomposition increases with an increase in the initial DNP concentration, i.e., the reaction is not inhibited by DNP; and (3) product inhibition is present, but it is not as strong as that in the aqueous TiO2 suspension. To elucidate the mechanism of the photocatalytic reaction, a mathematical model is constructed by taking into consideration an electrostatic interaction between positively-charged TiO2 and negatively-charged DNP. The calculated results suggest that mixing a solution breaks down the DNP-aggregate layer formed in the neighborhood of TiO2 film and removes reactant inhibition by DNP. The results are also compared with our previous result for the DNP decomposition in an aqueous TiO2 suspension and the difference is identified. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.