A Screening Technique Useful for Testing the Effectiveness of Novel "Self-Cleaning" Photocatalytic Surfaces

We describe a screening methodology that can be used to quickly determine the effectiveness of newly synthesized photocatalysts. We were particularly interested in measuring the destruction of organic molecules painted onto a photocatalytic surface by spraying, with destruction proceeding in ambient air (as a model for airborne toxin destruction). Our method can utilize photocatalysts that are synthesized as powders (such as doped and undoped titanium oxide) and which are then calcined onto a glass substrate disk at 600 degrees C. Herein, we used UV illumination of Aeroxide P-25 TiO2, but the method is general and can accommodate any region of the light spectrum.