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Solar Light Degradation of Trimethyl Phosphate and Triethyl Phosphate on Dry and Water-Precovered Hematite and Goethite Nanoparticles

Makie, Peter ; Persson, Per LU and Osterlund, Lars (2012) In Journal of Physical Chemistry C 116. p.14917-14929
Abstract
We report on the solar-light-mediated degradation of trimethyl phosphate (TMP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP) on hematite and goethite nanoparticles in synthetic air. Adsorption and photoreactions of TMP and TEP were studied by in situ diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) on dry and water-precovered nanoparticles in dark and under simulated solar light irradiation. Two-dimensional correlation analysis of infrared spectra was used to identify surface products as a function of reaction time. The optical properties of the hematite and goethite nanoparticles were investigated with optical spectrophotometry. The optical band gap was determined by analysis of the Tauc relationship around the band gap energy, E-g,... (More)
We report on the solar-light-mediated degradation of trimethyl phosphate (TMP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP) on hematite and goethite nanoparticles in synthetic air. Adsorption and photoreactions of TMP and TEP were studied by in situ diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) on dry and water-precovered nanoparticles in dark and under simulated solar light irradiation. Two-dimensional correlation analysis of infrared spectra was used to identify surface products as a function of reaction time. The optical properties of the hematite and goethite nanoparticles were investigated with optical spectrophotometry. The optical band gap was determined by analysis of the Tauc relationship around the band gap energy, E-g, yielding band gap energies of 2.14 and 2.28 eV for hematite and goethite nanoparticles, respectively. It is found that both TMP and TEP are readily photodegraded upon solar light irradiation (employing AM1.5 filters with 1735 W m(-2)), yielding surface orthophosphate as the final product. The first step in the dissociation of TMP and TEP is displacement of the methoxy and ethoxy groups, respectively, yielding adsorbed dimethyl phosphate (DMP) and methoxy, and diethyl phosphate (DEP) and ethoxy intermediates. Further photodegradation displaces additional methoxy and ethoxy groups with adsorbed orthophosphate as final reaction product. Methoxy and ethoxy fragments are simultaneously oxidized to carboxylates and carbonates. Photodegradation of TMP and TEP is promoted by OH radicals, which is evidenced by the higher photodegradation rate on water-precovered surfaces. The rate of TMP degradation is higher than that for TEP contrary to what is expected from their corresponding bulk hydrolysis rates, but consistent with their surface reactivity in dark, where TMP is observed to dissociate at room temperature but not TEP (or only very slowly). The photodegradation rate is higher on the goethite nanoparticles than the hematite nanoparticles on both dry and water precovered surfaces. The TMP and TEP photodegradation rate constants are found to be 0.025 (0.058) and 0.008 (0.023) min(-1), respectively, on water-precovered hematite (goethite) nanoparticles. (Less)
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author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Physical Chemistry C
volume
116
pages
14917 - 14929
publisher
The American Chemical Society (ACS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:84863947414
ISSN
1932-7447
DOI
10.1021/jp3026732
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
28
id
bdce3f3d-0a42-4fbf-8d23-ec3c4b64e066 (old id 4332277)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:27:43
date last changed
2022-04-20 02:22:53
@article{bdce3f3d-0a42-4fbf-8d23-ec3c4b64e066,
  abstract     = {{We report on the solar-light-mediated degradation of trimethyl phosphate (TMP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP) on hematite and goethite nanoparticles in synthetic air. Adsorption and photoreactions of TMP and TEP were studied by in situ diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) on dry and water-precovered nanoparticles in dark and under simulated solar light irradiation. Two-dimensional correlation analysis of infrared spectra was used to identify surface products as a function of reaction time. The optical properties of the hematite and goethite nanoparticles were investigated with optical spectrophotometry. The optical band gap was determined by analysis of the Tauc relationship around the band gap energy, E-g, yielding band gap energies of 2.14 and 2.28 eV for hematite and goethite nanoparticles, respectively. It is found that both TMP and TEP are readily photodegraded upon solar light irradiation (employing AM1.5 filters with 1735 W m(-2)), yielding surface orthophosphate as the final product. The first step in the dissociation of TMP and TEP is displacement of the methoxy and ethoxy groups, respectively, yielding adsorbed dimethyl phosphate (DMP) and methoxy, and diethyl phosphate (DEP) and ethoxy intermediates. Further photodegradation displaces additional methoxy and ethoxy groups with adsorbed orthophosphate as final reaction product. Methoxy and ethoxy fragments are simultaneously oxidized to carboxylates and carbonates. Photodegradation of TMP and TEP is promoted by OH radicals, which is evidenced by the higher photodegradation rate on water-precovered surfaces. The rate of TMP degradation is higher than that for TEP contrary to what is expected from their corresponding bulk hydrolysis rates, but consistent with their surface reactivity in dark, where TMP is observed to dissociate at room temperature but not TEP (or only very slowly). The photodegradation rate is higher on the goethite nanoparticles than the hematite nanoparticles on both dry and water precovered surfaces. The TMP and TEP photodegradation rate constants are found to be 0.025 (0.058) and 0.008 (0.023) min(-1), respectively, on water-precovered hematite (goethite) nanoparticles.}},
  author       = {{Makie, Peter and Persson, Per and Osterlund, Lars}},
  issn         = {{1932-7447}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{14917--14929}},
  publisher    = {{The American Chemical Society (ACS)}},
  series       = {{Journal of Physical Chemistry C}},
  title        = {{Solar Light Degradation of Trimethyl Phosphate and Triethyl Phosphate on Dry and Water-Precovered Hematite and Goethite Nanoparticles}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp3026732}},
  doi          = {{10.1021/jp3026732}},
  volume       = {{116}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}