Assessing photocatalytic activity using methylene blue without dye sensitisation

The anaerobic photocatalysed reduction of methylene blue, MB, by glycerol to leuco methylene blue, LMB, is studied using UV-absorbing, P25 TiO₂, and visible-absorbing, CdS, semiconductor powder particles as the photosensitizer. In both cases, the photo-reductive bleaching of the dye to LMB, is very rapid, typically <2 min. The photobleaching of the MB is readily and simply reversed in the dark by allowing air into the system, so as to let the ambient oxygen to oxidise the photogenerated LMB back to its original blue, oxidized form, MB. Action spectra are recorded for both systems and reveal no evidence of dye-sensitisation, nor dye photolysis over the time scale of the reaction (i.e. ca. 2 min). Instead, the action spectra exhibit spectral profiles that match very well that of the diffuse reflectance spectra of the respective semiconductor photocatalysts. The MB/glycerol system appears to offer a simple, quick, unambiguous way to assess the photocatalytic activity of both visible and UV absorbing photocatalyst powders using a dye, such as MB.