Value Added Conversion of Ethanol on Morphologically Controlled and Defect‐Engineered Titanium Dioxide Nanorods

Abstract

AbstractDeveloping an environmentally benign and highly effective strategy for the value‐added conversion of biomass platform molecules such as ethanol has emerged as a significant challenge and opportunity. This challenge stems from the need to harness renewable solar energy and conduct thermodynamically unfavorable reactions at room temperature. To tackle this challenge, one‐dimensional titanium dioxide photocatalysts have been designed and fabricated to achieve a remarkable photocatalytic selectivity of almost 100 % for transforming ethanol into value‐added 1,1‐diethoxyethane, contrasting the primary production of acetaldehyde in titanium dioxide nanoparticles. By incorporating a Pt co‐catalyst and infusing oxygen vacancies into the one‐dimensional catalyst, the ethanol transformation rate was doubled to 128.8 mmol g−1 h−1 with respect to that of its unmodified counterpart (about 66.7 mmol g−1 h−1). The underlying mechanism for this high conversion and selectivity resides in the narrowed bandgap of the catalyst and the prolonged lifetime of the photo‐generated carriers. This is a promising strategy for the photocatalytic transformation of essential biomass platform molecules that intertwines morphological control and defect engineering.