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H2O2 is widely used as an oxidant for photocatalytic methane conversion to value-added chemicals over oxide-based photocatalysts under mild conditions, but suffers from low utilization efficiencies. Herein, we report that O2 is an efficient molecular additive to enhance the utilization efficiency of H2O2 by suppressing H2O2 adsorption on oxides and consequent photogenerated holes-mediated H2O2 dissociation into O2. In photocatalytic methane conversion over an anatase TiO2 nanocrystals predominantly enclosed by the 001 facets (denoted as TiO2001) -C3N4 composite photocatalyst at room temperature and ambient pressure, O2 additive significantly enhances the utilization efficiency of H2O2 up to 93. 3%, giving formic acid and liquid-phase oxygenates selectivities respectively of 69. 8% and 97% and a formic acid yield of 486 μmolHCOOH·gcatalyst-1·h-1. Efficient charge separation within TiO2001-C3N4 heterojunctions, photogenerated holes-mediated activation of CH4 into ·CH3 radicals on TiO2001 and photogenerated electrons-mediated activation of H2O2 into ·OOH radicals on C3N4, and preferential dissociative adsorption of methanol on TiO2001 are responsible for the active and selective photocatalytic conversion of methane to formic acid over TiO2001-C3N4 composite photocatalyst.
Sun et al. (Sat,) studied this question.