Light-driven photothermocatalytic performance of the Pt/Co3O4 catalyst for toluene oxidation

Light-driven photothermocatalytic oxidation is a promising method for the elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The Co3O4, 0.46 Pt/Co3O4 and 0.97 Pt/Co3O4 catalysts were fabricated via the simple molten salt and incipient wetness impregnation method. Compared with Co3O4 and 0.46 Pt/Co3O4, the 0.97 Pt/Co3O4 catalyst showed higher photothermocatalytic performance for toluene oxidation under simulated solar irradiation intensity of 900 mW cm-2, with the toluene conversion and CO2 yield being up to 98.3 % and 96.0 %, respectively. The better activity was ascribed to its outstanding strong light absorption and low temperature reducibility. Meanwhile, 0.97 Pt/Co3O4 also exhibited an excellent photothermocatalytic stability and H2O resistance. The Vis-IR light played a key role in the photothermocatalytic oxidation of toluene in the whole solar spectrum. This work benefited the synthesis of catalysts with good photothermocatalytic activity for environment friendly treatment of VOCs.