Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are considered hazardous air pollutants and these are emitted from building materials and household products. VOCs can cause global warming as well as human sickness, and even cancer. Photocatalysis provides a way of converting VOCs into harmless materials. Various researches have shown that $TiO_2$ is the most efficient photocatalysts due to its excellent activity. In this study, metal/non-metal doped $TiO_2$ particles are synthesized for the enhancement of the photocatalytic properties of pure $TiO_2$. By metal/non-metal doping, band gap energies of prepared samples were analyzed by UV/Visible spectrophotometer. The physical and chemical properties of synthesized powder were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope, by BET for measuring their specific surface area, and by XRD for phase identification and particle size determination. Degradation ability for p-xylene was evaluated through monitoring the concentration in a closed chamber. Relation between their properties and decomposition abilities for VOC were evaluated based on the experimental results.
