Investigations on the local structure of Ag⁺/ZSM-5 catalysts and their photocatalytic reactivities for the decomposition of N₂O at 298 K

Ag⁺/ZSM-5 catalysts were prepared by an ion-exchange method and UV-irradiation of the catalysts in the presence of N₂O led to the photocatalytic decomposition of N₂O into N₂ and O₂ at 298 K. Investigations on the effective wavelength of irradiated UV-light for the reaction as well as the in-situ characterization of the catalysts by means of XAFS, UV-Vis, photoluminescence and FT-IR spectroscopies revealed that the photoexcitation of the Ag⁺-N₂O complexes formed between gaseous N2O and the isolated Ag⁺ ions play a significant role in this reaction.