Oxidation of Aldehydes on TiO2 Photocatalysts Modified with Alkylsilyl Group

Surfaces of SiO2-covered TiO2 photocatalysts were modified with alkylsilyl groups. Oxidation of hexanal on surface-modified TiO2 proceeded more efficiently than that on photocatalysts without surface modification. The improvement of the photocatalytic activities of surface-modified TiO2 photocatalysts is due to the hydrophobic interaction between hexanal and alkylsilyl groups modified on TiO2 photocatalysts.