Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 65: Solid-liquid interfaces: Reactions and electrochemistry II

O 65.6: Talk

Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 16:15–16:30, TRE/PHYS

Mechanistic insights into liquid phase photocatalysis by studying the photoconversion of tertiary alcohols on titania — •Lucia Mengel, Elena Dietz, Martin Tschurl, and Ueli Heiz — Chair of Physical Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748 Garching, Germany

Titania loaded with a metal co-catalyst represents a well-studied model photocatalyst, e.g. for investigating hydrogen evolution. For the reaction of most alcohols, the use of a co-catalyst is vital to enable hydrogen evolution and thus a fully catalytic reaction. Tertiary alcohols, however, can be employed as probe for the intrinsic photoactivity of bare titania, as they are catalytically converted in a surface photoreaction discovered by us on single crystals in UHV. In this work, we focus on the applicability of these findings to a liquid phase environment by performing photoconversion of 2-methyl-2-butanol on titania nanopowder. We investigate the catalytic activity under water- and oxygen-free conditions and discuss the reaction behavior under consideration of the catalyst's properties.

Keywords: Titanium Dioxide; Photocatalysis; Tertiary Alcohols; Liquid Phase; Mechanism