Solution conductivity as a factor determining the photocatalytic reaction rate

Abstract

A rather simple model was developed, which predicted a hyperbolic relation between the photocatalytic reaction rate and solution conductivity. Experimental validation was performed using methyl orange as a model pollutant and titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst. The experiments, conducted with three different salts confirm the hyperbolic correlation between the photocatalytic degradation rate and solution conductivity. The results have evinced this correlation, albeit the model ignores crucial factors, such as the role of one of the two types of charges generated during light absorption and the chemical decomposition pathway. In addition, the experimentally derived hyperbolic function displays a positive shift along the ordinate.