Rising global demand for chemicals, materials, fuels, and energy demands the adoption of innovative and sustainable technologies. To this end, significant research efforts are focused on the production of value-added chemicals through the catalytic valorization of renewable feedstocks, particularly biomass waste. Moreover, harnessing solar energy to drive selective chemical conversions is regarded as a promising green technology. In this context, the development of novel nanomaterials with improved photocatalytic performance is crucial for efficient biomass valorization. Titanium oxide-based materials have been extensively reported as effective photocatalysts, although they are primarily associated with the non-selective mineralization of organic pollutants. Therefore, novel nanocatalysts are essential to achieve selective photocatalytic activity.

In this study, novel one-dimensional titanium oxides were synthesized from commercially available TiO₂ anatase particles and studied for the selective oxidative cleavage of lignin-inspired β-Ο-4 linkages towards value-added aromatics. The resulting material was composed of nanotubes with external diameters 6-10 nm, inner channels between 3-7 nm, and length ranging from 90-200 nm. Furthermore, nanotubes possess a large specific surface area (S_BET = 154 m²/g) and pore volume (V_total = 0.80 cm³/g), significantly higher compared to the commercial precursor TiO₂ Anatase nanoparticles (S_BET = 10 m²/g, V_total = 0.03 cm³/g). The band gap was estimated at 3.12 eV, comparable to that of anatase (3.2 eV).

The photocatalytic performance of both materials was evaluated either under low-intensity UV-A irradiation (370 nm), or monochromatic wavelengths within the range of visible light (427, 440, 525 nm), and combinations thereof. The novel nanomaterial showed the greatest aromatic yield of benzaldehyde (Ph-CHO), enhanced by 2.4 times compared to commercial TiO₂ anatase nanoparticles under combined irradiation of the three monochromatic wavelengths. Mechanistic studies indicated the involvement of multiple reactive species in the photoreaction, with dissolved O₂ playing a pivotal role.