A Comprehensive Review: Recent Updates on Photocatalytic Degradation of Pollutants Using TiO2 Photocatalyst

Mehak Nawaz Khan

Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hydrogen Science & Center of Hydrogen Science, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

Muhammad Anis Aslam

Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hydrogen Science & Center of Hydrogen Science, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

Farhat Bibi

Shanghai Key Laboratory of Hydrogen Science & Center of Hydrogen Science, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China

Muhammad Sohail Abbas

1. CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystems and Hierarchical Fabrication, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, P. R. China. 2. Department of Chemistry, University of Malakand, Chakdara, Dir-L, Pakistan

Copyright © 2025 Mehak Nawaz Khan, Muhammad Anis Aslam, Farhat Bibi, Muhammad Sohail Abbas. Published by Nan Yang Academy of Sciences Pte. Ltd.

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


Abstract

Environmental sustainability is a challenging task for worldwide researchers. The photocatalyst is a promising technique, which can accomplish this task and resolve the problem in an ecofriendly way. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and some inorganic gases are the most hazardous compounds in the environment, which can be abated through photocatalysis. Metal oxide photocatalysts are extensively used for the photocatalytic degradation of VOCs and inorganic gases. Among the metal oxide photocatalysts, Titanium oxide (TiO2) is the most commonly used semiconductor photocatalyst due to its structure, unique properties under ultra-visible light, nontoxicity, and high acid-base properties, good chemical and thermal stabilities, easy availability, and high metal-support interaction. This review elucidates the morphology, reactive facets, reaction mechanism, structural modifications, surface properties, and key issues related to understanding the importance of TiO2 as a photocatalyst for the degradation of VOCs and inorganic gaseous pollutants.

Keywords: Titanium oxide; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation; Volatile organic compounds; Catalyst design; Pollution