Visible Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity of Oleic Acid-Coated TiO₂ Nanoparticles Synthesized from Absolute Ethanol Solution

The one-step synthesis of oleic acid-coated TiO₂ nanoparticles with visible light-driven photocatalytic activity was reported by this manuscript, using oleic acid-ethanol as crucial starting materials. The photocatalytic degradation of nitrogen monoxide (deNO_x) in the gas phase was investigated in a continuous reactor using a series of TiO₂ semiconductors, prepared from oleic acid- or acetic acid-ethanol solution. The surface modification on TiO₂ by organic fatty acid, oleic acid, could reinvest TiO₂ photocatalyst with the excellent visible light response. The deNO_x ability is almost as high as 30 % destruction in the visible light region (λ > 510 nm) which is similar to the nitrogen-doped TiO₂. Meanwhile, acetic acid, a monobasic acid, has a weaker ability on visible light modification of TiO₂.