Robustness of visible-light photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds using Wolfram-doped TiO2 anatase

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are hazardous chemicals that significantly threaten public health, making their remediation an increasingly pressing concern. Among the various solutions proposed, the use of TiO2 photocatalysts has garnered attention because of their practicality, cost-effectiveness, high catalytic activity, and human-friendly nature. This study discussed the potential of Wolfram (W)-doped TiO2 catalyst in enhancing VOC degradation under UV light irradiation and used xylene as the target VOC. The nanostructured W-doped TiO2 materials were fabricated without surfactants or post-reaction calcination at a low temperature for 10 h, yielding promising results. We carefully investigated these nanomaterials’ characterization using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques such as XRD, TEM, SEM, EDS, XRF, EIS, and XPS. The XPS analysis revealed W-O-Ti linkages and improved charge separation, while EIS showed enhanced conductivity and reduced charge transfer resistance, with 1.5 mol% W achieving optimal performance. These results evaluate the successful synthesis of W-doped TiO2, which can be applied to VOC treatment. Notably, the photocatalytic degradation of xylene gas reached 99.77% within 10 min of UV illumination. This result demonstrates the outstanding properties of this catalyst as a promising solution for VOCs pollution control.