ABSTRACT TiO 2 generally exhibits unsatisfactory photocatalytic degradation and mineralization efficiency toward volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A major limitation lies in the severe recombination of photogenerated charge carriers before they react with surface hydroxyl groups to generate hydroxyl ( • OH) radicals, the primary active species for VOCs oxidation. In this work, we fabricated a tea polyphenol‐derived carbon layer‐modified TiO 2 (TPC‐TiO 2 ) via a sol‐gel method, forming a unique Ti─O─C interfacial channel that facilitates efficient charge transfer. This structure significantly accelerates charge separation and migration toward the surface, favoring • OH generation. The formation of Ti─O─C bonds and enhanced charge dynamics are verified by in situ DRIFTS, photocurrent responses, and theoretical calculations. Under UV irradiation, TPC‐TiO 2 achieves a toluene degradation efficiency of 96.7%, much higher than 80.1% for pure TiO 2 , and the mineralization rate is significantly improved from 14.0% (for TiO 2 ) to 42.1% (TPC‐TiO 2 ), nearly threefold enhancement. TPC‐TiO 2 also exhibits excellent cycling stability. This green bio‐inspired modification optimizes interfacial charge dynamics and offers a promising strategy for efficient VOCs purification in industrial and indoor air remediation.
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.