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Nanotube-structured TiO2 electrodes on Ti plates were formed in ethylene glycol solution by the anodic oxidation method applied for different times and calcined at 500 °C. Different amounts of WO3 were decorated on the nanotube surfaces electrochemically. The electrodes were characterized, and the effects of the nanotube length on the Ti plate, decorated WO3 amount, electrolyte concentration, applied potential, and type of radiation source on the oxidation of 3-methylpyridine were investigated, together with the product distribution/selectivity. In a photoelectrocatalytic system, the vitamin B3 yield increased significantly (ca. 17 fold) under UVA by decorating nanotube-structured TiO2 with WO3, whilst low reaction rates and no products were found under Vis irradiation, as only unselective photolytic reactions occurred. This unexpected result was clarified for the first time in the literature.

Home prepared TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared from TiCl4 precursor in the absence and presence of HCl (1-6 M), HNO3 (1 M) or H2SO4 (1 M) at room temperature (RT), 60 or 100 degrees C. The TiO2 catalysts were characterised by XRD, BET, SEM and TGA techniques. TiO2 catalyst could not form at low temperature (up to 60 degrees C) in the presence of H2SO4. Just rutile phase was obtained for all TiO2 samples prepared at RT and 60 degrees C in HCl or HNO3. At 100 degrees C mainly both brookite and rutile phases were obtained in the presence of HCl or HNO3, whilst mainly anatase phase appeared in the presence of H2SO4. Nanorod structured TiO2 was formed in the presence of 1 M HCl or HNO3 at RT and 60 degrees C. The prepared TiO2 catalysts were used for partial oxidation of 3-pyridinemethanol to 3-pyridinemethanal and vitamin B3 in water under UVA irradiation. Moreover, photocatalytic oxidation of 3picoline, precursor of 3-pyridinemethanol, was also performed, but much lower product selectivity values were obtained with respect to 3-pyridinemethanol oxidation. However, selective 3-picoline oxidation could be performed at pH 2 with low activity. Degussa P25 was used for comparison and almost all home prepared catalysts showed a higher selectivity, but they showed to be less active than Degussa P25. The high selectivity of the home prepared samples was not due to the type of TiO2 phase, but mainly to the hydrophilicity of the TiO2 surface which allowed desorption of valuable products instead of their over-oxidation.

Carbon paste electrodes (CPE) were modified with commercial (Degussa P25, BDH, Merck, Hombikat) and home-prepared rutile TiO2 (HPRT) nanoparticles for the electrochemical determination of arbutin (AR) by differential pulse voltammetry technique. The optimization experiments were performed in Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 2–7 using modified CPEs. 15%-HPRT(25 °C)/CPE and 15%-HPRT(400 °C)/CPE showed the highest current values among all electrodes at optimum pH, accumulation potential, and duration time values (pH 2, 0.70V and 45 s); consequently, the electrodes were characterized by SEM-EDX, while TiO2 samples by BET and XRD techniques. Electrochemical surface areas of the electrodes were also determined. HPRT(25 °C) and HPRT(400 °C) samples have the lowest crystallinity which is the reason for their high performance. The linear working range of 15%-HPRT(25 °C)/CPE and 15%-HPRT(400 °C)/CPE electrodes was 0.5–120 μM. The detection limit for these electrodes was 32 and 40 nM, and the quantification limit was 107 and 135 nM, respectively. Interference studies, repeatability, reproducibility and the stability of the electrodes were examined, and a reaction mechanism for AR oxidation was proposed and promising results were obtained. The AR determination in a real sample, in the anti-blemish skin serum, was also performed successfully.

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) containing polymeric nanocomposites (PNCs) in different mass ratios of TiO2 (3, 5 and 7%) with respect to PHEMA were synthesized by using the in-situ polymerization/hydrothermal method. The prepared composite materials were characterized by SEM, FTIR, UV-Vis, TGA and XRD techniques. The results of the characterization experiments showed that the composite successfully synthesized and TiO2 in the polymer matrix is well distributed, especially for the lowest TiO2 contained composite (3% TiO2). The thermal activation energies (E-a) of the PNCs were estimated by the Ozawa, Kissinger, and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods by using non-isothermal TGA experiments. By increasing the amount of TiO2 nanoparticles, the thermal stability and glass transition temperature (T-g) of PHEMA was increased. The water holding capacity of PNCs was determined by swelling experiments. As the amount of TiO2 in the PNCs increased, the degree of swelling decreased. In addition, the swelling values of both PHEMA and PNCs increased with increasing the temperature. The dielectric constant (sigma '), the dielectric loss factor (sigma '') and ac conductivity of neat PHEMA and PNCs were also measured for the frequency range of 100 Hz to 2 kHz and for the temperatures of 30 and 180 degrees C. It was obtained that the frequency dependence of the dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor decreased with increasing frequency. Finally, the biological activities of PNCs against gram-positive (S. aureus) and gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria were also tested and it was observed that this effect increased with the amount of TiO2.

Partial photocatalytic oxidation of salicyl alcohol (2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol) to salicylaldehyde in water was investigated under environmental friendly conditions in the presence of home-prepared and commercial TiO2 (Merck and Aeroxide P25) samples under UVA irradiation. The photocatalysts were characterized by using BET, XRD, SEM and/or TEM techniques. The effects of crystallinity degree, pH (3–11) and presence of a hole trap (ethanol) on the photocatalytic activity and product selectivity were investigated. 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol was also used to study the influence of the position of the substituent group in the aromatic ring. High alcohols conversion and product selectivity values were obtained at pH = 11 by using well crystallized TiO2 samples. The conversion values significantly decreased by increasing the hole trap concentration, whereas the selectivity values increased slightly. The selectivity towards the corresponding aldehyde after 30% of alcohol conversion was significantly higher for 4-HBA (48%) than for 2-HBA (32%), due to the role of the para position of the substituent group. In order to clarify the different selectivity of the products, various experiments have been also performed starting from the products; these results indicate that the selectivity is also strongly dependent on the stability of the formed products under the experimental conditions used. By concluding, this article reports that the conversion and selectivity values for the studied reaction depend both on the TiO2 type and on the substrate.

The photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) oxidation of 3-pyridinemethanol to 3-pyridinemethanal and vitamin B3 was investigated by using Pt, Au and Pd loaded (as single or bimetallic) nanotube structured TiO2 on Ti plate in water under UVA irradiation. Nanotube structured TiO2 on Ti plate samples were prepared as anode by anodic oxidation method in ethylene glycol solution in different times, and then they were calcined at 500 °C to be obtained in crystalline form. The anodes were loaded with noble metals by electrochemical reduction method and characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, and photocurrent techniques. The TiO2 on the plates was in the anatase phase. The loaded metals were in metallic form and heterogeneously dispersed on the TiO2 surface in different sizes. The results indicate that a high amount of metal loading negatively affected the PEC activity of the metal loaded samples because UVA irradiation inside the nanotubes was inhibited by the presence of the metal. On the contrary, low amount of Pd showed high PEC activity and high product selectivity values with respect to the pristine sample. PEC experiments were also more selective than the photocatalytic ones for vitamin B3 production. Electrocatalytic (EC) and photocatalytic (PC) experiments were also conducted, however no or low activity was obtained, respectively. PEC experiments showed to be more selective than the PC ones for vitamin B3 production.

TiO2 catalysts, modified with acidic or alkaline solutions and then platinized, were used for the partial photocatalytic oxidation of 3-pyridinemethanol to 3-pyridinemethanal and vitamin B-3 under environmentally friendly conditions. The reaction took place in water under UVA light and air oxygen. Catalysts were characterized by TEM, photoluminescence, DRIFT-IR, Raman, DRS, XPS, and photocurrent measurements. The photocatalytic activity results show that Pt loading of untreated samples leads to a significant activity improvement (hence product yield) as much as acid and alkaline treatments do. Moreover, the alkaline treated TiO2 samples exhibit a further increase in activity after loading with Pt. Pt acts as an electron scavenger promoting electron transfer from the TiO2 conduction band, consequently boosting the photogenerated pair numbers available for the reactive process. Photocurrent measurements show that the TiO2 photocatalysts' active sites increase significantly after platinization and alkaline/acid treatment. The treated and/or Pt loaded catalysts showed good thermal stability (at least up to 400 degrees C).

The aim of the chapter is to describe some different preparation methods and characterization techniques for bare, supported, and coupled TiO2 samples used in different fields. Particular attention has been paid both to the fundamental aspects of the different TiO2 preparation and characterization methods and the practical applications that the results obtained can have. Various examples have been reported from the literature to demonstrate the usefulness that students and scientists working with TiO2-based materials in different research areas can derive from various characterizations.

The influence of pH on the photocatalytic partial oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (MBA) and vanillyl alcohol (VA) to their corresponding aldehydes in aqueous suspension under UVA irradiation was investigated by using poorly crystalline home-prepared and crystalline commercial TiO2 (BDH, Merck and Degussa P25) photocatalysts. The results clearly show as tuning pH can strongly impart selectivity and activity to photocatalytic processes which are often quite unselective in aqueous suspensions. It was found that pH effect on reaction rate and product selectivity strongly depended on TiO2 crystallinity and substrate type. In the case of MBA oxidation, photoreactivity and selectivity were very high at low pH values for all of TiO2 catalysts, and the crystalline samples showed to be more active than the poorly crystalline ones. At pH= 1 the photoactivity of Degussa P25 was the highest one, and 88% selectivity at 50% conversion was determined. At acidic pH values, selectivity and activity were higher in the presence of HCl than H2SO4 or H3PO4. For VA oxidation, high selectivity values were obtained at high pH’s for all of the samples, and the crystalline samples showed higher activity at the alkaline pH values with respect to that observed at the acidic ones. Experiments starting from the obtained products, that are p-anisaldehyde and vanillin, showed that the selectivity depends on the resistance of those compounds to be subjected to further oxidation under the experimental conditions used.

Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) oxidation of glycerol to commercially valuable compounds was carried out using nanotube, nanobelt and nanosponge TiO2 on Ti plates prepared by anodic oxidation method. The plates were characterized by XRD, SEM and electrochemical methods (photocurrent profiles and EIS). Glycerol oxidation experiments were carried out under environmentally friendly conditions using air/water as oxidant and water as solvent under UVA irradiation. Glyceraldehyde, 1,3-dihydroxyacetone, formic acid and CO2 were determined as glycerol products. The effects of photoanode morphology, TiO2 crystallinity, applied potential, pH, solution mixing speed, electrolyte type (and concentration) and gas atmosphere on the glycerol oxidation activity and product selectivity were investigated in detail. In addition, the hole trap effect of methanol was also investigated. Optimum conditions were achieved with anatase phase nanotube structured TiO2 photoanodes in the presence of 20 mM Na2SO4, by applying 1.5 V bias, and 400 rpm solution mixing speed at pH 7 in air atmosphere. Electrocatalytic and photocatalytic experiments were performed in order to compare them, and in the first case no activity was observed, while in the second case it was low. The disappointing results obtained by using the single methods demonstrated the presence of a synergistic effect in the PEC experiments. Moreover, the electrode prepared by simple thermal oxidation of the Ti plate showed no activity in the PEC tests, unlike the structures in which TiO2 nanotubes, nanosponges and nanobelts were present which showed significant activity due to the high specific surface area and their other morphological and structural characteristics.

In this work, the activity enhancement of TiO(2)photocatalysts by alkaline treatment has been investigated. Commercial (BDH, U.K., anatase phase) TiO(2)samples, treated in alkaline solutions of NaOH at different concentrations and temperatures, were tested for the photocatalytic partial oxidation of 3-pyridinemethanol in water under UVA irradiation to form vitamin B-3. Photocatalyst characterization has been carried out by XRD, BET, TEM, TGA, photoluminescence, FTIR, Raman, DRS, EPR and photocurrent measurements. The alkaline-treated samples showed an increased activity of up to 7 times (by considering first order rate constant values) compared to untreated BDH and the superior performance was maintained even after a thermal treatment at 400 degrees C, while the selectivity values were affected only marginally by the treatment (beingca.40% and 15% for 3-pyridinemethanal and vitamin B-3, respectively). The effect of NaOH concentration and treatment duration on the photocatalytic activity has also been studied extensively. The alkaline treatment has also proven to be effective in modifying the surface properties of another commercial catalyst,i.e., Merck, anatase, improving its reactivity in the conversions of both 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol and 3-pyridinemethanol. The NaOH treatment boosted the porosity and surface area, while lowering the percent crystallinity of the catalysts, due to a higher density of surface hydroxyl groups. It also enhanced the adsorption capability towards the reacting substrate, as shown by FTIR analysis. Despite the oxygen vacancies (or total abundance of Ti(3+)centres) not being changed after the NaOH treatment, the process of hole trapping under irradiation is drastically affected due to the different water adsorption capabilities of the samples, as highlighted by EPR. The proposed simple treatment of commercial photocatalysts has the potential to support the development of effective photocatalysts, which do not require complex surface modification or doping to achieve high yields in reactions relevant to the chemical industry.

The present chapter reports some economical aspects of the cerium oxide market. Porter’s and PESTEL analyses have been used to evidence the strengths and weaknesses of the ceria market, along with the potentiality and opportunities within the years to come. The wide use of CeO2 nanoparticles in many applications requires to consider also issues related to their toxicity and environmental fate. In this regard, some contradictory reports in the relevant literature have been surveyed, thus highlighting the need for further and detailed investigation on these topics in order to propose effective strategies of risk assessment and environmental remediation.

In this paper, the first photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) 3-pyridinemethanol oxidation to 3-pyridinemethanal and vitamin B-3 was investigated. To meet this aim, efficient nanotube structured TiO2 on a Ti plate as a photoanode was prepared by an anodic oxidation method in ethylene glycol and characterized by XRD, SEM, and photocurrent techniques. The effect of nanotube morphology, applied potential, Na2SO4 concentration, stirring speed of solution, and pH on the reaction activity and product selectivities were investigated. The TiO2 phase of all of the anodes was mainly the anatase one. The PEC activity, the intensity of the XRD peak and the photocurrent increased by increasing the nanotube length. The activity decreased by decreasing both the Na2SO4 concentration and the applied potential, whereas 3-pyridinemethanal selectivity increased. By increasing the stirring speed of the solution, both the activity and the 3-pyridinemethanal selectivity increased. A lower or no activity was observed for photocatalytic (PC) and electrocatalytic runs, respectively, which were carried out for the sake of comparison. No PC activity was obtained in the presence of N-2, but PEC reactions in the presence of N-2 were faster than those in the presence of O-2. The produced 3-pyridinemethanal in both N-2 and O-2 atmosphere was reduced at the cathode in the PEC reaction, but its oxidation appeared to be much more favourable. The PC reactions could not be carried out under acidic conditions, whilst the PEC ones could be performed in the pH range of 2-12. Moreover, the results indicate that the PEC method allows higher conversions and selectivities to vitamin B-3 to be obtained at pH 7 with respect to those reported in the literature.

WOS: 000390515800008, The photocatalytic partial oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (MBA) and 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol (NBA) to corresponding aldehydes or acids was performed in water under simulated solar light at different pH's by using Pt, Au, Pd and Ag loaded Degussa P25 TiO2 catalysts, prepared by photoreduction. Bare Degussa P25 TiO2 was also used as a reference. The metal loaded TiO2 photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, ESEM and DRS techniques. The best activity and selectivity results were obtained with Pt loaded TiO2. The reactivity results show that metal loading on Degussa P25 sharply promotes the photoactivity and product selectivity towards aldehydes. Moreover, at low pH's very high aldehyde selectivities were determined for both alcohols. MBA oxidation rate was very high at low pH's, whereas an opposite trend was observed for NBA, due to the difference of the substituent group. Only from NBA a significant amount 4-nitrobenzbic acid (ca. 50%) was obtained at high pH values, TUBITAK [111T489], Authors thank the TUBITAK (Project no: 111T489) for financial support.

An important factor that governs solar energy transformation into electrical or chemical energy, when using nanoparticles-based devices, is the spatial location of traps limiting electron transport. Evidences have been presented indicating that the electron diffusion is strongly influenced by nanoparticle boundaries, whose characteristics depend on the particles preparation. In the present work we have studied the role of hydrated excess proton structures in the formation of anatase nanoparticles boundaries in samples prepared by TiCl4 hydrolysis at low temperature and strong acidic conditions. The samples, constituted by anatase nanocrystals but, mainly, by amorphous titania, are studied by H-1-MAS NMR, FT-IR and HRTEM. The results indicate that hydrated excess proton species, generated by solvation of bridging hydroxyls protons of highly defective anatase and/or amorphous titania chains, favor the chains bonding to anatase nanoparticles and/or their condensation at the nanoparticles surface. The chains' bonding facilitates the anatase particles aggregation producing oriented self-assemblings. The preparation conditions determine a strong condensation of amorphous titania chains and it should favor anatase transformation into rutile. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This chapter reports on some characterization techniques that are commonly used for catalysts and photocatalysts. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–visible (UV–Vis), photoluminescence (PL), and electrochemical characterization techniques are presented with experimental details and actual case studies from literature are discussed. The chapter starts with adsorption phenomena on (photo)catalysis and adsorption isotherms are presented. Then BET analysis technique and its applications in (photo)catalysis are explained. Morphological properties (SEM), functional groups, and the interaction of substrate (and intermediates) with the catalyst under dark or under irradiation are discussed using the FTIR technique. The discussion moves on with estimation of band-gap energies and oxidation states of loaded or metal-doped catalysts (through UV–Vis), and to the identification of impurity/defects levels and the investigation of recombination mechanisms by PL. Finally, as electrochemical characterizations, linear sweep and cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry (photocurrent), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Fermi level estimation are presented. Special attention is given to comparative assessment between catalysts and photocatalysts, for both powder and supported samples.

This chapter reports the main techniques used to synthesize powders and films of heterogeneous catalysts and photocatalysts, often used for similar processes. Traditional preparation processes of bulky (photo)catalysts including precipitation, sol–gel technique, hydrothermal or solvothermal method, solid-state reactions, and flame syntheses were briefly described. The sonochemical method and microwave irradiation technique were also considered. The syntheses of supported catalysts by different techniques, including deposition–precipitation, impregnation, and wet coating technologies were also described. Moreover, a survey is reported of methods to deposit thin films of catalysts on various supports such as deposition–precipitation, impregnation, chemical and physical vapor deposition, or electrodeposition.

Nanotube structured TiO2 on Ti surface were prepared in ethylene glycol (Ti/TiO2NTEG) medium by anodic oxidation method with different times and then the plates were calcinated at different temperatures. Non-nanotube structured Ti/TiO2, prepared by thermal oxidation method, and nanotube structured TiO2 on Ti plate in hydrogen fluoride solution were also prepared for comparison. Pt loaded Ti/TiO2NTEG photoanodes were also prepared by cyclic voltammetry method with different cycles and the optimum loaded Pt amount was determined. Photoanodes were characterized by using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy-Dispersive X-ray Analysis (SEM-EDX), and photocurrent methods. XRD analyses proved that almost all TiO2 is in anatase phase. SEM analyses show that nanotubes and Pt nanoparticles on nanotube surface are dispersed quite homogeneously. The longest nanotubes were obtained in the ethylene glycol medium and the nanotube length increased by increasing applied anodic oxidation time. In addition, a linear correlation between nanotube length and XRD peak intensity was found. Moreover, SEM-EDX and XRD analyses evidence that Pt nanoparticles on nanotube surface are metallic and in cubic structure. Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of paraquat was performed using the prepared photoanodes. Moreover, electrocatalytic and photocatalytic degradations of paraquat were also investigated for comparison, however lower activities were observed. These results evidence that the photoanodes show a significant synergy for photoelectrocatalytic activity.

Nanotube structured TiO2 on Ti surface were prepared in ethylene glycol (Ti/TiO2NTEG) medium by anodic oxidation method with different times and then the plates were calcinated at different temperatures. Non-nanotube structured Ti/TiO2, prepared by thermal oxidation method, and nanotube structured TiO2 on Ti plate in hydrogen fluoride solution were also prepared for comparison. Pt loaded Ti/TiO2NTEG photoanodes were also prepared by cyclic voltammetry method with different cycles and the optimum loaded Pt amount was determined. Photoanodes were characterized by using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy-Dispersive X-ray Analysis (SEM-EDX), and photocurrent methods. XRD analyses proved that almost all TiO2 is in anatase phase. SEM analyses show that nanotubes and Pt nanoparticles on nanotube surface are dispersed quite homogeneously. The longest nanotubes were obtained in the ethylene glycol medium and the nanotube length increased by increasing applied anodic oxidation time. In addition, a linear correlation between nanotube length and XRD peak intensity was found. Moreover, SEM-EDX and XRD analyses evidence that Pt nanoparticles on nanotube surface are metallic and in cubic structure. Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of paraquat was performed using the prepared photoanodes. Moreover, electrocatalytic and photocatalytic degradations of paraquat were also investigated for comparison, however lower activities were observed. These results evidence that the photoanodes show a significant synergy for photoelectrocatalytic activity.

Even if many aspects of three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) titania have been extensively studied, the interplay between the amorphous and crystalline components of their skeleton wall has not attracted too much attention, although it should strongly influence the properties of these materials. In order to gain new insight on this interplay, we have studied in detail the wall structure of three 3DOM titania samples prepared by heating the 3DOM titania precursor at 673, 773, and 873 K by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, N2 adsorption/desorption, pore-size distribution, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and IHmagic-angle-spinning NMR. In addition, their photoreactivity toward the partial oxidation and mineralization of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol was determined and compared with that of commercial anatase and P25 samples. The results show that when the 3DOM sample heated at 673 K, whose skeleton wall is formed by very small anatase nanoparticles covered by relatively thick layers of amorphous titania, is heated at 773 K, most amorphous titania is eliminated, leaving a very thin amorphous titania layer covering the slightly grown anatase nanoparticles. The photoreactivity results show that the sample heated at 773 K has the highest overall photoreactivity, which was lower than those of commercial anatase and P2S samples; however, its reactivity toward the alcohol partial oxidation was the highest compared with those obtained with all of the other samples. These results indicate that amorphous titania negatively affects the overall photocatalytic activity; however, its particular distribution in the 3DOM samples enhances the partial oxidation reaction.

In a previous study on commercial TiO2 nanoparticles (J. Soria et al.) we had shown that the superficial disordered layers influence their textural and reactivity features. In the present work we used well crystallized anatase particles (commercial TiO2, BDH) as support of different amounts of titania powders, prepared by TiCl4 hydrolysis and constituted by nanocrystals diluted into an amorphous matrix. The reactivity of these photocatalysts has been tested for the selective oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol to aldehyde in aqueous suspension. The catalyst characteristics have been studied using adsorption-desorption isotherms, TEM, HRTEM, TGA, PL, DRIFT-IR, and 1H MAS-NMR spectroscopy. The results show that, though amorphous titania species hinder the photocatalyst overall reactivity, the incorporation of a low amount of those species enhances significantly the reactivity towards the partial oxidation. This effect is attributed to the fact that, during the catalyst preparation, associations between chlorine ions and hydrated excess protons structures are produced. These associations act as surfactants, separating the layer of amorphous titania chains from anatase surface so that, under catalyst irradiation, the transport of photogenerated positive charge from anatase bridging oxygens to those of the amorphous layer is favoured.

N-doped anatase/rutile photocatalysts were prepared by a sol-gel method, using TiCl4 as TiO2 precursor and urea as N-dopant source. The catalysts required a thermal treatment at temperature higher than 300 degrees C to achieve actual nitrogen doping; this treatment also allowed obtaining crystalline and hydrophobic samples. Moreover, nitrogen doping modified the surface of samples by increasing the anatase to rutile phase ratio and hydrophilicity. The catalysts were characterized by BET specific surface area, XRD, ESEM, TGA, FT-IR, DRS and XPS measurements, with particular attention to the assessment of the N-doping effect. It was found that XPS analysis should be used together with DRS and FT-IR to discriminate whether N had been incorporated in TiO2 lattice or N species had just adsorbed on the TiO2 surface. Moreover, XPS analysis could be also used for determining the crystallinity of TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was tested for the partial oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol to p-anisaldehyde in water under near-UV, visible, UV-visible and simulated solar light, respectively. Commercial (Degussa P25) and undoped home-prepared TiO2 anatase-rutile catalysts were also used for comparison. The results show that N-doping improves absorption of visible light by the catalysts, but the reaction rate does not increase accordingly. Selectivity was higher in the presence of poorly crystallized catalysts, whereas doping seemed to have a slightly improving effect.

Selective photocatalytic oxidation of 3-pyridinemethanol to 3-pyridinemethanal and vitamin B-3 by using pristine and Pt loaded home prepared (HP) rutile and commercial TiO2 photocatalysts, under UV, UV-vis and visible irradiations in water, was performed in friendly environmental conditions. The photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM-EDAX, BET, DRS, XPS and TGA techniques. The influence of pH on reactivity and total selectivity to 3-pyridinemethanal and vitamin B3 was studied. Under very acidic conditions (pH = 2) no or low activity (depending on photocatalyst) was observed, whereas by increasing the pH from 4 to 12 very high total selectivity was achieved. The Pt loading was beneficial for selectivity whereas the reactivity was positively affected only for crystalline HP sample. This last sample showed good activity under visible irradiation, exhibing an about 4 times higher conversion than the other samples. The influence of the position of the benzylic group in pyridine (2-pyridinemethanol and 4-pyridinemethanol) was also studied. The results showed that to synthesize vitamin B3 in green conditions the photocatalyst should be poorly crystalline or Pt loaded. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) synthesis of 2,5-furandicarbaldehyde (FDC) from 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (HMF) has been performed in water by using TiO2 films on Ti layer prepared by thermal annealing of Ti (Ti/TiO2) and TiO2 nanotube on Ti (Ti/TiO2NT) prepared by anodic oxidation as photoanodes. The latter ones showed better activity. In order to improve both activity and selectivity, Ti/TiO2NT was loaded with Pt by photoreduction method. 5-Formyl-2-furoic acid (FFA) was also produced by using Pt loaded Ti/TiO2NT photoanodes. The photoanodes were characterised by using XRD, SEM and XPS techniques. Allotropic phase of TiO2 photoanodes was mainly rutile, whereas trace amounts of anatase phase were found in some samples of TiO2 nanotube photoanodes. The distribution of TiO2 nanotubes on Ti are well organised. In addition, primary particle sizes of TiO2 were increased by increasing thermal treatment temperature; however primary particle sizes of TiO2 in Ti/TiO2NT are higher than that of other samples. The photoanode preparation temperature, bias and medium pH were optimised by following PEC HMF oxidation reaction. Photocatalytic and electrocatalytic HMF oxidations were also performed for comparison and negligible activities were observed. Finally efficient Pt loaded Ti/TiO2NT photoanodes were investigated for PEC selective and active FDC (selectivity up to 40%) and FFA (selectivity up to 18%) syntheses in environmental friendly conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

It is well known that the surface of metal oxide catalysts presents, usually, non-crystalline species containing impurities and low coordinated cations, which are observed in HRTEM images as a disordered layer of amorphous phase. Despite of being these species more accessible and less stable than the crystalline catalysts components, they have been rarely considered when analysing the catalyst activity. In this work, we have studied the effect of a treatment with HCl solution at pH = 0 on the characteristics of the disordered layer in two commercial anatase TiO2 samples, using techniques such as TGA, 1H MAS-NMR and HRTEM, and by determining these sample photocatalytic activity for the 4-nitrophenol degradation in aqueous suspension. The results indicate that associations of chlorine ions in amorphous titania chains and hydrated excess protons structures interact with anatase bridging hydroxyls. This interaction, that breaks Ti-O-Ti bonds between the anatase particles and the disordered layer species, enhances the anatase hydroxyls acidity, favouring the formation of 0-radicals and eventually increasing the photocatalytic activity for 4-nitrophenol degradation under UV irradiation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneous photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis have been considered as oxidation technologies to abate unselectively noxious species. This article focuses instead on the utilization of these methods for selective syntheses of organic molecules. Some promising reactions have been reported in the presence of various TiO2 samples and the important role played by the amorphous phase has been discussed. The low solubility of most of the organic compounds in water limits the utilization of photocatalysis. Dimethyl carbonate has been proposed as an alternative green organic solvent. The recovery of the products by coupling photocatalysis with pervaporation membrane technology seems to be a solution for future industrial applications. As far as photoelectrocatalysis is concerned, a decrease in recombination of the photogenerated pairs occurs, enhancing the rate of the oxidation reactions and the quantum yield. Another benefit is to avoid reaction(s) between the intermediates and the substrate, as anodic and cathodic reactions take place in different places., S. Yurdakal thanks to TÜ BITAK (Project no: 111T489) for economic support

5-(Hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (HMF) was selectively oxidized to 2,5-furandicarbaldehyde (FDC) in; aqueous medium by using home prepared (HP) anatase, rutile, and brookite TiO2 nanoparticles. HP samples were prepared via a sol-gel method by using TiCl4 as the TiO2 precursor. Commercial TiO2 catalysts were also used for, comparison. All samples were characterized by BET specific surface area, XRD, TGA, and SEM, and the reactivity results showed that HP catalysts are predominantly amorphous and give rise to selectivities toward FDC more than twice that of commercial and well crystallized catalysts.

The derivatives of styrene monomer, 4-chlorophenyl-4-vinylbenzyl ether (M1), 4-methoxyphenyl-4-vinylbenzyl ether (M2), 4-ethylphenyl-4-vinylbenzyl ether (M3) and 1-naphtylphenyl-4-vinylbenzyl ether (M4) were synthesized. The normal free radical polymerization of monomers in 1,4-dioxane were performed by using 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator at 65 A degrees C. The monomers and their homopolymers were characterized by FT-IR, NMR and elemental analyses measurements. The thermal stability of polymers was investigated by thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric analysis. Thermal degradation activation energies of the polymers were calculated by the Ozawa and Kissinger methods. In addition, photo-stability tests of the polymers under near-UV irradiation were performed.

It has been recently reported by Palmisano et al. (2015) [1] that the oxidation of 2-methoxybenzyl alcohol (2-MBA) to 2-methoxybenzaldehyde (2-MBAD) proceeds in water under near-UV light with an unexpected catalytic effect of 2-MBAD. In order to investigate the catalytic role of aldehyde in photolytic oxidation of ortho-substituted benzyl alcohols (OSBAs), reactivity runs were carried out with 2-methylbenzyl alcohol (2-MeBA), 2-nitrobenzyl alcohol (2-NBA), 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (2-HBA) and 2-chlorobenzyl alcohol (2-CIBA) in the absence and in the presence of their corresponding aldehyde. None of those alcohols showed a measurable oxidation rate even in the presence of their aldehydes but 2-NBA was oxidised very fast, although no corresponding carbonyl product was obtained. The possible catalytic role of 2-MBAD was investigated for the photolytic oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (4-MBA), 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol (4-NBA), 2-CIBA, 2-HBA, 2-MeBA and ferulic acid (FA). The results showed that 2-MBAD acts as a catalyst only for 4-MBA, 2-HBA and FA. The photocatalytic oxidation of OSBAs in the presence of powdered TiO2 has been also carried out in order to investigate the mutual influences, if any, between homogeneous and heterogeneous processes. The reactivity runs were carried out with TiO2 photocatalyst in water and under near-UV irradiation; a home-prepared (HP) TiO2 sample was used along with Degussa P25. HP catalyst showed the best performance: the 2-MBA half-life time was 5 times smaller and the selectivity to aldehyde 13 times higher than in the presence of Degussa P25. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

WOS: 000382184900011, PubMed ID: 27506715, Pencil graphite electrodes modified with Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Fe(II) metallophthalocyaninetetrasulfonates (MePcTSs) were investigated for an electrochemical determination of bisphenol A (BPA). The electrochemical performances of the modified electrodes for different pH values in phosphate and the Britton-Robinson buffers were determined by cyclic voltammetry; the electrode performances were better in the Britton-Robinson buffer. NiPcTS and CoPcTS modifications of the electrodes had remarkable enhancements on their performances. The differential pulse voltammetry parameters for the electrodes were optimized, and we found that the electrochemical response versus the concentration of BPA is linear from 5.0 x 10(-7) to 1.0 x 10(-5) M for the NiPcTS and CoPcTS modified electrodes. The detection limits of these modified electrodes are 2.9 x 10(-7) and 4.3 x 10(-7) M, respectively, and the effects of interfering species are less than 5%. The results show that NiPcTS and CoPcTS modified pencil graphite electrodes could be used for electrochemical determinations of BPA for analytical purposes., Scientific Research Project Council of Afyon Kocatepe University (BAP Project) [11.FEN.BIL.01], The authors thank the Scientific Research Project Council of Afyon Kocatepe University (BAP Project Number: 11.FEN.BIL.01) for financial support and Dr. Justin Beck (Pennsylvania State University) for his useful suggestions.

Heterogeneous photocatalysis by polycrystalline semiconductor oxides is an unconventional technology that has been mainly applied for the degradation of organic and inorganic pollutants in both the vapor and liquid phase. The application of photocatalysis in synthetic routes has also been researched in recent years, demonstrating its viability as an alternative route in organic chemistry. This work illustrates the main findings in the application of heterogeneous photocatalysis to the oxidation of organic compounds dissolved in water, free of any organic co-solvent. Two main aspects of the oxidative process have been studied: the first one is the partial oxidation of various mono-substituted aromatic compounds, investigated to better understand the influence of the substituent group on the reactivity of these species and on the distribution of oxidized products. The second aspect investigated is the possibility of using heterogeneous photocatalysis for the selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones. The partial oxidation of alcohols to produce carbonyl compounds is of great industrial importance; generally, it is performed in environmentally harmful organic solvents at high temperatures and pressures by using stoichiometric oxygen donors that not only are expensive and toxic, but also produce large amounts of dangerous waste

WOS: 000274769500044, Amorphous TiO2, prepared at room temperature through a sol-gel method implementing hydrolysis of TiCl4, has been supported on graphite rods and then annealed at 673 K. In this way graphite was completely covered by a porous anatase TiO2 layer, with an external thickness of about 1 mu m, with graphite pores completely filled by the semiconductor particles. The obtained electrode was structurally characterized by SEM microscopy coupled to EDAX mapping and by Raman spectroscopy. A Pyrex annular reactor was designed in order to test the prepared electrodes for the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol, a target pollutant dissolved in aqueous conductive solution. The continuous reactor worked in total recirculation mode and the degradation runs were carried out by applying near UV-light, bias or both energy sources. The influence of flow rate, initial 4-nitrophenol concentration and applied potential on the degradation rate was studied

Oxygenated aqueous suspensions of home-prepared (HP) and commercial TiO2 catalysts were used in a batch photoreactor for carrying out the oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA) and 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (MBA) under different operative conditions. HP catalysts were synthesized from TiCl4 and underwent a hydrolysis treatment of different times under mild conditions. The textural characterization of catalysts was carried out with XRD, SEM observations, BET surface area and porosity measurements. For both alcohols the main oxidation products were the corresponding aromatic aldehydes and CO2. The HP catalysts exhibited selectivity values towards the aldehyde production up to 28% (BA conversion: 50%) and 41% (MBA conversion: 65%), about four times higher than those of commercial TiO2. The addition of an aliphatic alcohol (methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol or tert-butanol) in small amounts with respect to water decreased the overall oxidation rate of aromatic alcohols but enhanced the selectivity for aldehyde formation up to 1.5 times. The reactivity results suggest that: (i) the aromatic alcohol molecules interact with the TiO2 surface in different ways that eventually determine two parallel reaction pathways (partial oxidation or mineralization); (ii) the aliphatic alcohols preferentially compete with aromatic alcohols for the mineralizing pathway.

In this paper some intrinsic electronic properties of home prepared (HP) TiO2 catalysts were investigated by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and quasi-Fermi level measurements. These powders were used for carrying out the photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde and CO2 in water; the selectivity for aldehyde formation was enhanced by the addition of small amounts of ethanol, a typical hole trap. The values of band gap, valence band and conduction band edges are almost identical for all the HP samples in which anatase phase is predominant, whereas appreciable differences can be noticed for an HP sample containing high amount of rutile phase. A comparative ATR-FTIR study of the HP catalyst showing the highest selectivity and the commercial titania showing the highest activity towards benzyl alcohol oxidation (Degussa P25 TiO2) was carried out. The ATR-FTIR results indicate that HP and Degussa P25 surfaces show a very dissimilar hydrophilicity and different ability for adsorbing the organic compounds deriving from benzyl alcohol photocatalytic oxidation. Results show moreover that the improved selectivity to aldehyde by adding ethanol is due to competition between the substrate and the hole trap for adsorption on reactive sites.

WOS: 000253222200065, Hybrid sol-gel TiO2/organosilica films doped with Cu(II), Fe(II), and Fe(III) phthalocyanines are excellent photocatalysts for the oxidative degradation of organics under visible light irradiation. The films show pronounced stability with the Fe(III)Pc-doped film showing the best performance in the gas-phase mineralization of 2-propanol. The versatile chemistry of both sol-gel materials and phthalocyanines will enable large improvement in terms of performance and technical adaptability of these new photocatalytic devices for future practical application.

WOS: 000246040000026, The photocatalytic oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol to p-anisaldehyde (PAA) was performed in water with organic-free suspensions of home-prepared and commercial titanium dioxide (TiO2) catalysts. The nanostructured TiO2 samples were synthesised by boiling aqueous solutions of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) under mild conditions, for different times. The crystallinity increased with the boiling time. The 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol oxidation rate followed the same pattern but the highest yield (41.5% mol) to PAA was found for the least crystalline sample, that showed a quantum efficiency of 0.116%. A comparison with two commercial TiO2 samples showed that all the home-prepared catalysts exhibited a PAA yield higher than that of commercial ones. The only by-products present were traces of 4-methoxybenzoic acid and aliphatic products, carbon dioxide being the other main oxidation product.

WOS: 000245150800018, The oxidation of nitrobenzene and phenylamine has been carried out by heterogeneous photocatalysis in aqueous suspensions of commercial TiO2. The photoreactivity results indicate that two reaction pathways occur in parallel with both substrates from the start of irradiation: partial oxidation to monohydroxy derivatives and mineralization. The first pathway involves the entering of radical HO center dot into the aromatic ring giving rise to monohydroxy derivatives, and the second one involves the total oxidation of the substrates to CO2. The partial oxidation of nitrobenzene produces all the three possible monohydroxy derivatives, while that of phenylamine only produces the ortho- and para-isomers. The extent of adsorption in the dark was found to be about 8% mol for nitrobenzene, while the amounts were not detectable for phenylamine. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood approach has been satisfactorily applied for modeling the photoreactivity results, and the values of the kinetic model parameters have been determined

An unusual autocatalytic photooxidation of 2-methoxybenzyl alcohol has been observed under UV irradiation in aqueous medium. The homogeneous oxidation is catalyzed by the corresponding aldehyde that is also the main oxidation product. The trend of alcohol disappearance rate matches the typical shape of an autocatalytic process, where a crucial and ambivalent role is played by the presence of molecular oxygen. Low oxygen concentrations give rise to a zero-order reaction since the beginning of irradiation, while higher amounts of oxygen reduce the alcohol oxidation rate until the aldehyde reaches a concentration high enough to speed up the alcohol's conversion. Experiments performed by varying alcohol, aldehyde and oxygen concentrations in both aqueous and organic media suggest that the alcohol oxidation is initially favored by the presence of oxygen. Once the formed aldehyde competes for photon absorption, the oxidation is driven by aldehydes alpha cleavage leading to reactive oxygenated species in aqueous medium. An excess of oxygen quenches the latter processes thus inhibiting/slowing down the reaction. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. tAn unusual autocatalytic photooxidation of 2-methoxybenzyl alcohol has been observed under UV irradi-ation in aqueous medium. The homogeneous oxidation is catalyzed by the corresponding aldehyde that isalso the main oxidation product. The trend of alcohol disappearance rate matches the typical shape of anautocatalytic process, where a crucial and ambivalent role is played by the presence of molecular oxygen.Low oxygen concentrations give rise to a zero-order reaction since the beginning of irradiation, whilehigher amounts of oxygen reduce the alcohol oxidation rate until the aldehyde reaches a concentrationhigh enough to speed up the alcohol’s conversion. Experiments performed by varying alcohol, aldehydeand oxygen concentrations in both aqueous and organic media suggest that the alcohol oxidation is ini-tially favored by the presence of oxygen. Once the formed aldehyde competes for photon absorption,the oxidation is driven by aldehydes alpha cleavage leading to reactive oxygenated species in aqueousmedium. An excess of oxygen quenches the latter processes thus inhibiting/slowing down the reaction.

This special issue of Catalysis Today Journal, is dedicated to the career of Prof. Vincenzo Augugliaro, University of Palermo, Italy, in the occasion of his retirement in 2015. Prof. Vincenzo Augugliaro was Full Professor of Transport Phenomena at the University of Palermo (Italy) since 1994. He contributed to the fol- lowing research fields: chemical absorption kinetics, biochemical reactor modelling, diffusional kinetics in metallizing alloys and heterogeneous photocatalysis; in this last field he investigated on chemical kinetics of heterogeneous photocatalytic systems, modelling of heterogeneous photoreactors, radiation field in absorbing-reacting media and application of heterogeneous pho- tocatalysis to syntheses processes. He published more than 150 papers in prestigious journals and many chapters in books and is co-author of 4 patents. Prof. Augugliaro was appreciated not only for his important achievements in the field of heterogeneous photocatalysis, but also for his great effort as mentor of many master and PhD chemical engineering students. This special issue contains twenty-four original papers by researchers involved in various aspects of heterogeneous photocatalysis.