Au single atom-anchored WO3/TiO2 nanotubes for the photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds

Owing to the 100% atom utilization and the high activity, single atom catalysts (SACs) toward photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) represent a promising technology. However, its practical industrial application has been still limited by the complex synthesis methods of the catalyst. Herein, a simple two-step electrochemical approach was developed to synthesize an atomically dispersed Au-loaded WO3/TiO2 nanotubes array for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) oxidation. Au atoms were proved to be anchored by oxygen vacancies (OVs) on the WO3 surface, which significantly enhanced the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers and the adsorption of toluene, achieving a 95.4% degradation and 85.5% mineralization rate for toluene removal. More importantly, the strong metal-support interaction led to the thermodynamic stability of the Au single atoms, and therefore, the stable toluene degradation cycle was achieved. This work is especially of great industrial significance for application of photocatalytic VOCs removal by SACs technique.