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Nanosized porous In(OH)3 photocatalysts with high surface areas (as much as 110 m²∙g-1) were successfully synthesized by peptization of colloidal precipitates under ultrasound radiation. The resulting catalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption, transition electron microscopy, and UV—vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by the gas-phase decomposition of several volatile organic pollutants (acetone, benzene, and toluene) under UV light illumination and were compared with that of the commercial titania (Degussa P25). Results revealed that the as-synthesized In(OH)3 exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity and durability than both In2O3 and TiO2. One, therefore, can conclude that nanosized In(OH)3 has potential application in environmental treatment, especially in the removal of benzene-containing exhaust emissions from shoemaking plants in China. The excellent photocatalytic performance of In(OH)3 can be attributed to its strong oxidation capability, abundant surface hydroxyl groups, and high BET surface area as well as the porous texture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multivalency iodine (I7/I-) doped TiO2were prepared via a combination of deposition−precipitation process and hydrothermal treatment. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer−Emmett−Teller surface area, UV−vis diffuse reflectance spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, surface photovoltage spectroscopy, and electric-field-induced surface photovoltage spectroscopy. The electronic structure calculations based on the density functional theory revealed that upon doping, new states that originated from the I atom of the IO4group are observed near the conduction-band bottom region of TiO2, and the excitation from the valence band of TiO2to the surface IO4-is responsible for the visible-light response of the I-doped TiO2. The as-prepared I-doped TiO2showed high efficiency for the photocatalytic decomposition of gaseous acetone under visible light irradiation ( > 420 nm). A possible mechanism for the photocatalysis on this multivalency iodine (I7/I-) doped TiO2under visible light was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]