Abstract: The NdPW12O40/TiO2 composite catalyst was prepared by the sol-gel method and characterized by thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The photocatalytic eliminations of acetone and methanol were used as model reactions to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the composite catalyst under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results show that TiO2 modified by NdPW12O40 has small crystal size (11 to 14 nm) and large surface area, and the aggregation of TiO2 particles is effectively inhibited. When the initial concentration of acetone is 6.58 g/m3 and the space time is 2~4 s, the mineralization rate is 96.74% using 0.1 g of 1%NdPW12O40/TiO2 as the catalyst, which conforms to the requirements of emission standards for air pollutants. Methanol can be mineralized completely when its initial concentration is 882 g/m3 and the space time is 20 s. Compared with pure TiO2, the light absorption ability of NdPW12O40/TiO2 gets enhanced, and the absorption region extends to long wavelengths by 20 nm.

Key words: photocatalysis, neodymium phosphotungstic acid, titanium dioxide, acetone, methanol