A particular bird's nest-like pseudo-boehmite (PB) composed of cohesive nanostrips was prepared by a novel and facile approach based on the reaction of Al–Ga–In–Sn alloy and water, together with ammonium carbonate. The PB possesses a large specific surface area (465.2 m2 g−1), pore volume (1.0 cm3 g−1), and pore diameter (8.7 nm). Subsequently, it was utilized as a precursor to form the TiO2/γ-Al2O3 nanocomposite for tetracycline hydrochloride removal. The removal efficiency can reach above 90% at TiO2:PB = 1:1.5 under the Sunlight irradiation simulated by a LED lamp. Our results indicate that the nest-like PB is a promising carrier precursor for efficient nanocomposite catalysts.
Different catalyst supports, namely: commercial Degussa P25 TiO 2 , anatase TiO 2 (CC), γ-Al 2 O 3 , and lab-synthesized AlOOH were used to prepare Pt-based catalysts for the room temperature formaldehyde oxidation. XRD, BET and XPS were conducted to characterize the bulk structure of support, the oxidation state of surface elements and the ratio of oxygen in hydroxyls to the total surface oxygen, as well as textural properties of catalysts. For the first time, a long-term activity test at 0% relative humidity was conducted to investigate relationships between the activity of the Pt-based catalysts with Pt dispersion and oxidation state and the relative abundance of surface OH groups. Pt/AlOOH showed the best activity, whereas Pt/P25 TiO 2 gave the worst activity. We consider that both the surface hydroxyl groups and the Pt dispersion are indispensable, and both act synergistically. The specific surface area is not the decisive factor for the present reaction.