2015 Volume 66 Issue 9 Pages 420-424
A titanium dioxide film with nanopores was prepared by the anodic oxidation of titanium in nitric acid solution. The photoactivity of the titanium dioxide film depended on the heat treatment temperature under air. The titanium dioxide electrode treated at 500 ℃ showed a high photoanodic response to veratryl alcohol (VA) in aqueous solution. The photodegradation of VA was rapid in aqueous NaCl solution compared with NaClO4, Na2SO4, and NaNO3 solutions. The oxidants Cl2 or HClO were photogenerated on the titanium dioxide photoanode in NaCl solution. The photoanodic oxidation of VA on the titanium dioxide in NaCl solution was caused by the attack of photogenerated holes and oxidants. High-performance liquid chromatography revealed the formation of vanillyl alcohol, veratraldehyde, vanillin, and benzenetriol as the main intermediates, and the formation of ketomalonic acid, suggesting aromatic ring cleavage on the titanium dioxide electrode during the photoanodic oxidation of VA in aqueous NaCl solution.