Photocatalytic nanomaterials and environmental chemistry
Photocatalysis : from nanostructured materials to photocatalytic reactors

Environmental applications of photocatalysis involving TiO₂ are grouped into three categories: air treatment, water treatment and self-cleaning surfaces. The three categories include several areas:

• air treatment: decontamination of indoor and outdoor air, elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), sterilization, deodorization... ;

• water treatment: industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, decolorization, decontamination and disinfection, degradation of recalcitrant COD (chemical oxygen demand)... ;

• self-cleaning surfaces: self-cleaning and self-sterilizing, windows, buildings, tiles, lighting, walls, paintwork, sidewalks...

All these applications use photoactive TiO₂, mainly in the form of anatase, considered the most active phase. The photocatalyst can be...