Photocatalytic degradation of organic compound in water using synthetic niobia: experimental and theoretical studies

Abstract

The present work describes novel materials based on niobia oxides destined to oxidize an organic compound in aqueous medium via heterogeneous photocatalysis. The organic compound decomposition study was realized with a typical basic dye, methylene blue. The analysis of the products, with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), showed that the dye was successively oxidized in different intermediate compounds. These results strongly suggest that the oxidation of the organic dye involves oxidizing species mainly generated after previous treatment with H2O2.