Manganese Oxide Photodeposited onto Titanium Dioxide as a New Environmental Catalyst

Authors have successfully synthesized a new environmental catalysis which reacted with harmful formaldehyde in air at room temperature. Although manganese oxide is practically used for a major ingredient of formaldehyde removing materials, intermediates such as formate formed on the surface reduced the removal efficiency. Then, manganese oxide was photodeposited onto the surface of titanium dioxide particles which could decompose certain organic compounds with UV irradiation. It was confirmed that the complex oxide decomposed formaldehyde into carbon dioxide at room temperature. Moreover, UV irradiation enhanced the production of the carbon dioxide.