TiO2-WO3 Loaded onto Wood Surface for Photocatalytic Degradation of Formaldehyde

In this work, a facile method was adopted to prepare TiO2-WO3 loaded onto a wood surface by a two-step hydrothermal method. The as-prepared wood composite material can be used as a photocatalyst under UV irradiation for the photodegradation of formaldehyde. Related tests showed that TiO2-WO3 nano-architectonic materials with spherical particles loaded onto the wood substratewere mainly caused by self-photodegradation of formaldehyde. The TiO2-WO3 nanostructured material firmly adheres to the wood substrate through electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions. Meanwhile, the appearance of the new chemical bond Ti-O-W indicates the successful loading of TiO2-WO3 onto the wood surface. The photodegradation rate was measured and it was confirmed that the highest photodegradation performance of the modified wood was achieved at a molar ratio of 5:1 of TiO2 to WO3. This work provides a new strategy for the preparing of novel photocatalysts based on wood substrate. Moreover, the wood loaded with TiO2-WO3 is a promising candidate for indoor formaldehyde treatment in practical applications.