TiO2 coating types influencing the role of water vapor on the photocatalytic oxidation of methyl ethyl ketone in the gas phase

Four TiO₂-based materials, named A, B, C and D, are used to investigate the influence of water vapor on the gas–solid adsorption and heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). Two of the photocatalysts (A and B) are constituted of powdered TiO₂ deposited onto two different supports (ordinary glass and non-woven cellulose fibers). The other ones (C and D) are composed of a thin film of TiO₂ coated on glass substrates. The effect of water vapor on MEK initial conversion rates is studied for the four photocatalytic materials using the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model at the initial time. On the concentrations range where the model hypotheses are verified, adsorption constants K and kinetics constants k are calculated for experiments under both dry and humid atmosphere. When the relative humidity is increased, the evolution of these constants shows that water vapor acts differently depending on the form of deposited TiO₂ (powder and film).