Boosting Photothermocatalytic Oxidation of Toluene Over Pt/N-TiO₂: The Gear Effect of Light and Heat

Photothermal catalysis is extremely promising for the removal of various indoor pollutants owing to its photothermal synergistic effect, while the low light utilization efficiency and unclear catalytic synergistic mechanism hinder its practical applications. Here, nitrogen atoms are introduced, and Pt nanoparticles are loaded on TiO₂ to construct Pt/N-TiO₂-H₂, which exhibits 3.5-fold higher toluene conversion rate than the pure TiO₂. Compared to both photocatalytic and thermocatalytic processes, Pt/N-TiO₂-H₂ exhibited remarkable performance and stability in the photothermocatalytic oxidation of toluene, achieving 98.4% conversion and 98.3% CO₂ yield under a light intensity of 260 mW cm^-2. Furthermore, Pt/N-TiO₂-H₂ demonstrated potential practical applicability in the photothermocatalytic elimination of various indoor volatile organic compounds. The synergistic effect occurs as thermocatalysis accelerates the accumulation of carboxylate species and the degradation of aldehyde species, while photocatalysis promotes the generation of aldehyde species and the consumption of carboxylate species. This ultimately enhances the photothermocatalytic process. The photothermal synergistic effect involves the specific conversion of intermediates through the interplay of light and heat, providing novel insights for the design of photothermocatalytic materials and the understanding of photothermal mechanisms.