Photocatalytic Degradation of 4-Chlorophenol: Effects of Pt and SiO2

Photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol was studied using TiO2, Pt/TiO2, TiO2–SiO2, and Pt/TiO2–SiO2prepared by the sol–gel method. The addition of Pt in TiO2improved the catalytic activity and the highest activity was obtained with 1%Pt/TiO2. For TiO2–SiO2, the highest activity was achieved with 10%SiO2–TiO2because of its highest adsorption capacity. Although 1% Pt or 10% Si in TiO2improved the catalyst activity, the synergistic effect of adding both 1% Pt and 10% Si was not observed.