The adsorption and photodegradation of oxalic acid at the TiO2 surface

ATR-FTIR measurements in combination with quantum chemical calculations were performed to study chemical reactions taking place at the surface of a thin TiO2 layer immersed in an aqueous oxalic acid solution under UV(A) illumination. It was found that the adsorption of oxalic acid on TiO2 in the dark can be explained in terms of two surface complexes for the anatase phase. Under UV(A) illumination, one of the adsorbed species on the anatase phase preferably undergoes photo-degradation and at the same time more molecules of oxalic acid are adsorbed at the TiO2 surface which is thus enriched in the second complexation mode. The spectral changes observed under UV(A) illumination are explained in the light of different theories: photo-desorption of water molecules as a thermal mechanism induced by the absorption of photons, surface reconstruction, and newly exposed surface area provided by the de-aggregation of the TiO2 particles.