An Overview of Recent Developments in Improving the Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2-Based Materials for the Treatment of Indoor Air and Bacterial Inactivation

Abstract

Indoor air quality has become a significant public health concern. The low cost and high efficiency of photocatalytic technology make it a natural choice for achieving deep air purification. Photocatalysis procedures have been widely investigated for environmental remediation, particularly for air treatment. Several semiconductors, such as TiO2, have been used for photocatalytic purposes as catalysts, and they have earned a lot of interest in the last few years owing to their outstanding features. In this context, this review has collected and discussed recent studies on advances in improving the photocatalytic activity of TiO2-based materials for indoor air treatment and bacterial inactivation. In addition, it has elucidated the properties of some widely used TiO2-based catalysts and their advantages in the photocatalytic process as well as improved photocatalytic activity using doping and heterojunction techniques. Current publications about various combined catalysts have been summarized and reviewed to emphasize the significance of combining catalysts to increase air treatment efficiency. Besides, this paper summarized works that used these catalysts to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and microorganisms. Moreover, the reaction mechanism has been described and summarized based on literature to comprehend further pollutant elimination and microorganism inactivation using photocatalysis. This review concludes with a general opinion and an outlook on potential future research topics, including viral disinfection and other hazardous gases.

Fabrication of carbon-based materials derived from a cobalt-based organic framework for enhancing photocatalytic degradation of dyes

“…Therefore, the synthesis of adsorbents for the elimination or reduction of these pollutants is a top concern today. 52–55…”

“…Therefore, the synthesis of adsorbents for the elimination or reduction of these pollutants is a top concern today. [52][53][54][55] First, the dye degradation behavior of Co-MOF was tested in the dark. However, it showed no significant adsorption activity on MB, RhB, GV, MO and RB in the dark.…”

Kinetic Modeling of the Photocatalytic Degradation of Chlorinated Aromatic Volatile Organic Compounds: Mass Transfer Enhancement

“…The overall mass balances of the contaminant on the gaseous and solid phases in a continuous reactor result in the following relations [30,31].…”

Photocatalytic Antimicrobials: Principles, Design Strategies, and Applications

“…The presence of airborne pathogens such as bacteria, virus, and fungi is a major reason for air pollution worldwide. − Therefore, for human health, an efficient air purification strategy is of great significance. , Particularly during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an urgent need to develop safe and effective disinfection methods to reduce airborne pathogenic microorganisms and control their transmission. Photocatalytic methods are an effective strategy to remove pathogens from the air and limit the formation of pathogenic biofilms, which may permanently kill microorganisms in the air (Figure H).…”