Characteristics and heterostructure of metal-doped TiO2/ZnO nanocatalysts

In this study, Ag or Al-doped TiO₂/ZnO heterostructure nanocatalysts were prepared using a sol-gel method for photocatalysis to evaluate the degradability. The photocatalytic behavior was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. Photocatalytic studies suggested that 1 mol% Ag-doped TiO₂/ZnO (TiO₂/ZnO = 0.75/0.25) heterostructure nanocatalysts showed higher photocatalytic activity, and that the degradation efficiency can reach 83% in 4 h, 14% higher than that for pure TiO₂. Finally, the photocatalysis mechanism for the Ag-doped TiO₂/ZnO heterostructure nanocatalysts is discussed.     

Magnetic Field Effects on the Photoinduced Electron-Transfer Reactions in a Ruthenium Porphyrin–C60 Ligand Complex

Magnetic field effects (MFEs) on a photoinduced electron-transfer reaction in a semi-rigid linked system (RuP–C₆₀) were examined in toluene and o-dichlorobenzene. The transient absorption spectra indicated that the photogenerated biradical produced by an intramolecular electron-transfer reaction was observed only in o-dichlorobenzene. The decay rate constants (k _d) for the biradical decreased steeply at lower magnetic fields (≤0.06 T) and rapidly recovered at 0.08 T. The k _d value was observed to decrease gradually above 0.2 T. The MFEs strongly indicated the formation of the singlet-born biradical for RuP–C₆₀. The dip in the MFE at 0.06 T was ascribed to the S–T level crossing mechanism. The MFEs above 0.2 T can be explained by a spin–spin relaxation mechanism due to the anisotropic Zeeman interaction being related to the exchange interaction.     

Magnetic field effect on electron transfer reactions of flavin derivatives associated with micelles

The magnetic field effects (MFEs) on the electron transfer reactions from indole derivatives to flavin derivatives in micellar solutions are studied. The MFEs on the free radical yields observed by transient absorption (TA) reflect effectively the association of the donor and acceptor molecules with the micelles. In the system of riboflavin and indole, the MFE increases rapidly with increasing concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) higher than the critical micellar concentration. In contrast, in the system of flavin mononucleotide and indole, the increase of MFE is very slow even at higher concentrations of SDS. This result shows that riboflavin is well associated with the SDS micelle and the diffusion process of the radical pair is restricted by the micellar cages. The MFE in the system of riboflavin and indole is twice as large as that of riboflavin and tryptophan. This result shows the difference of the dynamics of radicals in micelles. The escape rate of the cation radical generated from tryptophan is much faster than that generated from indole. The dependence of the MFEs on the type of surfactant is studied. The effect of the Coulomb force between the ionic reactant molecules and the charged head group of the surfactant and the effect of the molecular size are discussed by comparison of the MFE intensities.     

Studies on coherent and incoherent spin dynamics that control the magnetic field effect on photogenerated radical pairs

Since 1970s, magnetic field effects (MFEs) on photogenerated radical pairs have been the centre of focus in the field of spin chemistry. The MFE attributes to quantum mechanical interconversion between the singlet and triplet radical pair states and subsequent spin-selective recombination reactions. In this New View article, the author picks up two hot topics studied during the last two decades, which are (i) so-called low field effect (LFE) and (ii) 2J-resonance MFE on fixed distance donor–acceptor linked molecules. In both of the topics, quantum mechanical explanations are given referring to recent reports, and some novel calculations have been carried out for bridging theoretical and experimental data for long-lived radical pairs. For the first topic, time domain calculations of coherent state mixing have been carried out for elucidation of hyperfine (HF) structure dependence of the LFE. For the second topic, Monte Carlo simulations of the torsional motion of polyaromatic linker unit have been carried out for the demonstration of fast decoherence in such rigid molecules. From these considerations, future possibilities of MFE studies on photo-functional materials and biomolecules have been indicated.     

Large magnetic field effect on back electron transfer from uncharged radical to its cationic partner in anionic micelle

The magnetic field effect (MFE) on the radical pair (RP) generated by photoexcitation of the acetyl derivative of phenyl pyrylium ion (APP⁺) in the presence of biphenyl, an electron donor, has been investigated. The escape yield at 3.5 T is more than ten times the zero-field value. The MFE reaches near-saturation twice, once at fields of the order of 10mT and again at about 3.5 T. The low-field variation of the MFE conforms to the pattern expected for the isotropic HFC mechanism, and the high-field variation to that expected for the relaxation mechanism. In this particular system two types of radical pair are generated, one by electron transfer from the donor to the acceptor and another by H-abstraction from the micelle. The MFEs on the two types of ³RP have been compared.     

磁场对基于Co铁磁薄膜的有机发光器件效率和电流的影响

制备结构为ITO/Co/NPB/Alq₃/LiF/Al的有机发光器件,测量了室温下磁场对器件发光效率和电流的影响.发现磁场强度小于80 mT时,器件发光效率随磁场强度的增加而增大,最大为18.8%,随磁场强度的继续增加发光效率的增强趋于饱和.效率的增加是Co的自旋极化的注入和磁场效应共同作用的结果,其中自旋极化注入起主要作用.在磁场强度小于60 mT时电流随磁场增强而增加,最大为6.9%,随磁场强度的进一步增加电流的增加有所减弱.产生这种现象的原因可归结为磁场相关的单线态极化子对的解 关键词： 有机电致发光 自旋极化 磁场效应     

Magnetic field effects on the reaction of the photoexcited triplet of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone in SDS micellar solution containing the 4-(lauroylamino)-TEMPO radical

A study has ben made of magnetic field effects (MFEs) on the reaction of the photoexcited triplet of 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (MNQ) in SDS micellar solution containing the 4-lauroylamino-TEMPO radical (L-R^?) under magnetic fields below 1.75 T by a nanosecond laser flash photolysis technique. The triplet MNQ mainly underwent the hydrogen abstraction from an SDS molecule to give a radical pair. The lifetime of the radical pair increased with increasing magnetic field from 0 to 0.62 T. The escaped radical yield also increased from 0 to 1.75 T. The qualitative features of these MFEs were similar to those observed for the photo-reduction of MNQ in SDS micellar solution without L-R^?, and these MFEs can be explained by the relaxation mechanism. However, it was found that L-R^? affected the MFEs for this reaction in two ways: first, L-R^? reacted with the triplet MNQ through H abstraction and/or electron transfer, and second, the spin relaxation of the radical pair was enhanced through the spin-spin interactions of the individual radical with L-R^?.     

Design and fabrication of a TiO2/nano-silicon composite visible light photocatalyst

Nano-silicon (nc-Si) was utilized as the charges generator to promote the photocatalytic and super-hydrophilic reactivity of TiO₂ film under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic ability of TiO₂/nc-Si composite photocatalyst was evaluated by a set of experiments to photodecompose 100 ppm methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. And the super-hydrophilic property was characterized by measuring the water droplet contacts angle, under visible light irradiation in atmospheric air and at room temperature. Under 100 mW/cm² visible light irradiation, the droplet contact angles were reduced to 0° within 4 h with nc-Si charge generator. Additionally, the rate constant of MB photo-degradation was promoted 6.6 times.     

Photocatalytic activity enhancement of Dy-doped TiO2 nanoparticles hybrid with TiO2 (B) nanobelts under UV and fluorescence irradiation

The main drawbacks of anatase titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles for being used as a photocatalyst are due to the rapid charge recombination of the electron-hole pairs and the wide band gap energy, limiting its photocatalysis application. To enhance photocatalytic activity, structure modification was performed here. Heterogeneous nanostructure of Dy-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles hybrid with Monoclinic TiO₂ nanobelts (Dy/TNBs) was fabricated via hydrothermal method. Annealing temperature was varied to investigate its effect on phase composition and morphology of the as-prepared TiO₂ catalyst. Phase composition and morphology were studied by XRD and SEM, respectively. The effect of amount of catalyst loaded on the degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solution under UV and fluorescence illumination was investigated. The results showed that pure monoclinic TiO₂ nanobelts (TNBs) was achieved at 450 °C. Enhanced photocatalytic activity under both UV and fluorescence irradiation was found on Dy/TNB samples. The optimum Dy dosage providing the highest MB degradation rates under both irradiation sources was 0.1 mol%.     

Efficient one-pot synthesis of Ag nanoparticles loaded on N-doped multiphase TiO2 hollow nanorod arrays with enhanced photocatalytic activity

The simultaneous Ag loaded and N-doped TiO₂ hollow nanorod arrays with various contents of silver (Ag/N-THNAs) were successfully synthesized on glass substrates by one-pot liquid phase deposition (LPD) method using ZnO nanorod arrays as template. The catalysts were characterized by Raman spectrum, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), ultraviolet-vis (UV-vis) absorption spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results suggest that AgNO₃ additive in the precursor solutions not only can promote the anatase-to-rutile phase transition, but also influence the amount of N doping in the samples. The photocatalytic activity of all the samples was evaluated by photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The sample exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity under UV light illumination when the AgNO₃ concentration in the precursor solution was 0.03 M, due to Ag nanoparticles acting as electron sinks; When the AgNO₃ concentration was 0.07 M, the sample performed best under visible light illumination, attributed to the synergetic effects of Ag loading, N doping, and the multiphase structure (anatase/rutile).     

Investigation on a novel ZnO/TiO2–B photocatalyst with enhanced visible photocatalytic activity

A new type of composite photocatalysts (ZnO/TiO₂–B) with Zinc oxide nanoparticles dispersed on boron doped titanium dioxide was prepared via a sol–gel method. The as-prepared powders were characterized by HRTEM, XRD, XPS, UV–vis DRS, and PL techniques. The results reveal that B³⁺ ions are doped into the TiO₂ lattice in interstitial mode, while ZnO nanoparticles are dispersed on the surface of TiO₂. The absorption of photocatalysts was extended into visible light region and the photogenerated electrons and holes were separated efficiently. Hence, ZnO/TiO₂–B composite photocatalyst exhibits much better photocatalytic activity than those of pure TiO₂ and TiO₂–B on photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol under visible light irradiation.     

Light-induced antifungal activity of TiO2 nanoparticles/ZnO nanowires

Antifungal activity of TiO₂/ZnO nanostructures under visible light irradiation was investigated. A simple chemical method was used to synthesize ZnO nanowires. Zinc acetate dihydrate, Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone and deionized water were used as precursor, capping and solvent, respectively. TiO₂ nanoparticles were deposited on ZnO nanowires using an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition system. X-ray diffraction pattern of TiO₂/ZnO nano-composite has represented the diffraction peaks relating to the crystal planes of the TiO₂ (anatase and rutile) and ZnO. TiO₂/ZnO nanostructure antifungal effect on Candida albicans biofilms was studied and compared with the activity of TiO₂ nanoparticles and ZnO nanowires. The high efficiency photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanoparticles leads to increased antifungal activity of ZnO nanowires. Scanning electron microscope was utilized to study the morphology of the as prepared nanostructures and the degradation of the yeast.     

Influence of MoS2 deposition time on the photocatalytic activity of MoS2/ V,N co-doped TiO2 heterostructure thin film in the visible light region

Electron-hole separation and a narrow band-gap are essential steps to obtain efficient photocatalysis, towards which the use of co-catalysts or co-doped-TiO₂ photocatalysts has become a widely used strategy. In this article, the combination of MoS₂ and co-doping of V, N is the goal to achieve high performance photocatalysts. We synthesized MoS₂/V, N co-doped TiO₂ heterostructure thin film by sol-gel and chemical bath deposition methods. Herein, we investigated the influence of deposition time of MoS₂ layer on visible-photocatalytic activity of the obtained samples. The thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy techniques. Visible-photocatalytic activity of these samples were evaluated on the removal of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The results show that the aforementioned heterostructure thin films have better photocatalytic activities than those of TiO₂, MoS₂ and V, N co-doped TiO₂ counterparts in visible light region. The mechanism for increasing visible-photocatalytic property of the heterostructure thin films is discussed in detail. We find that MoS₂/V, N co-doped TiO₂ heterostructure thin film at MoS₂ deposition time of 45-min shows the highest photocatalytic performance in the visible light region with MB photodegradation rate about 99% for 150 min and the degradation rate constant is 2.06 times higher than that of V and N co-doped TiO₂ counterpart.     

Dual-frequency (20/40 kHz) ultrasonic assisted photocatalysis for degradation of methylene blue effluent: synergistic effect and kinetic study

Dual-frequency ultrasonic assisted photocatalysis (DUAP) was proposed to enhance the degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) solution. The influence of operational parameters, i.e., irradiation time, ultrasonic arrangement, TiO₂ concentration and power density, was studied. The results implied that the rapid degradation of MB solution was achieved in 18 min under DUAP with the dual frequencies of 20/40 kHz. Kinetic investigation of MB degradation for the DUAP process was conducted on the basis of first-order kinetic equation and the synergistic effect was assessed by examination of the apparent rate constant. The effect of ultrasonic arrangement was analyzed by comparison of the pressure amplitude of ultrasonic superposition field. The evolvement of intermediate products and the role of active species during DUAP were distinguished by UV-Vis spectra and the free radical scavenging experiment.     

Sputter deposition of high transparent TiO2−xNx/TiO2/ZnO layers on glass for development of photocatalytic self-cleaning application

In this study, TiO_2−xN_x/TiO₂ double layers thin film was deposited on ZnO (80 nm thickness)/soda-lime glass substrate by a dc reactive magnetron sputtering. The TiO₂ film was deposited under different total gas pressures of 1 Pa, 2 Pa, and 4 Pa with constant oxygen flow rate of 0.8 sccm. Then, the deposition was continued with various nitrogen flow rates of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 sccm in constant total gas pressure of 4 Pa. Post annealing was performed on as-deposited films at various annealing temperatures of 400, 500, and 600 °C in air atmosphere to achieve films crystallinity. The structure and morphology of deposited films were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The chemical composition of top layer doped by nitrogen was evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Photocatalytic activity of samples was measured by degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye. The optical transmittance of the multilayer film was also measured using ultraviolet-visible light (UV-vis) spectrophotometer. The results showed that by nitrogen doping of a fraction (∼1/5) of TiO₂ film thickness, the optical transmittance of TiO_2−xN_x/TiO₂ film was compared with TiO₂ thin film. Deposited films showed also good photocatalytic and hydrophilicity activity at visible light.     

二氧化钛修饰的微结构聚合物光纤预制棒制备及其在光催化中应用的探索研究

首次用二氧化钛(TiO₂)纳米材料修饰的547孔微结构聚合物光纤(MPOF)二次预制棒作为阵列化微管式光催化反应器对亚甲基兰的光催化分解进行研究.将高光催化活性的P25型二氧化钛纳米粒子均匀分散在TiO₂溶胶中,对547孔微结构聚合物光纤孔洞内壁进行铺膜,得到了负载光催化剂的阵列化微管材料.该TiO₂MPOF有序复合的阵列化微管不仅对二氧化钛纳米粒子起到负载作用,还可以作为光波导介质(rolling-up薄膜波导,聚光、导光进入二氧化钛薄膜层)、污染物反应流体通道.以有机染料亚甲基兰为模拟污染物,研究了TiO₂负载量、亚甲基兰的初始浓度及溶液pH值等因素对光降解效果的影响.该反应器547个孔道的内表面用于负载光催化剂,不仅增加了固-液接触面积,也提高了光的吸收效率,从而提高了光催化效率.迄今为止,这种兼具导光、聚光、传质、负载功能于一体的光催化反应器还未见报道.     

Magnetic field effects on excited states,charge transport,and electrical polarization in organic semiconductors in spin and orbital regimes

Magnetic field can influence photoluminescence, electroluminescence, photocurrent, injection current, and dielectric constant in organic materials, organic–inorganic hybrids, and nanoparticles at room temperature by re-distributing spin populations, generating emerging phenomena including magneto-photoluminescence, magneto-electroluminescence, magneto-photocurrent, magneto-electrical current, and magneto-dielectrics. These so-called intrinsic magnetic field effects (MFEs) can be observed in linear and non-linear regimes under one-photon and two-photon excitations in both low- and high-orbital materials. On the other hand, spin injection can be realized to influence spin-dependent excited states and electrical conduction via organic/ferromagnetic hybrid interface, leading to extrinsic MFEs. In last decades, MFEs have been serving as a unique experimental tool to reveal spin-dependent processes in excited states, electrical transport, and polarization in light-emitting diodes, solar cells, memories, field-effect transistors, and lasing devices. Very recently, they provide critical understanding on the operating mechanisms in advanced organic optoelectronic materials such as thermally activated delayed fluorescence light-emitting materials, non-fullerene photovoltaic bulk-heterojunctions, and organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites. While MFEs were initially realized by operating spin states in organic semiconducting materials with delocalized π electrons under negligible orbital momentum, recent studies indicate that MFEs can also be achieved under strong orbital momentum and Rashba effect in light emission, photovoltaics, and dielectric polarization. The transition of MFEs from the spin regime to the orbital regime creates new opportunities to versatilely control light-emitting, photovoltaic, lasing, and dielectric properties by using long-range Coulomb and short-range spin–spin interactions between orbitals. This article reviews recent progress on MFEs with the focus on elucidating fundamental mechanisms to control optical, electrical, optoelectronic, and polarization behaviors via spin-dependent excited states, electrical transport, and dielectric polarization. In this article both representative experimental results and mainstream theoretical models are presented to understand MFEs in the spin and orbital regimes for organic materials, nanoparticles, and organic–inorganic hybrids under linear and non-linear excitation regimes with emphasis on underlying spin-dependent processes.     

Magnetic field effect as a probe of distance-dependent electron transfer in systems undergoing free diffusion

A theoretical analysis is presented of the problem of how distance-dependent electron transfer in photoinduced forward electron transfer followed by geminate backward electron transfer in liquid solution is reflected in the viscosity dependence of the magnetic field effect (MFE) on the efficiency of free radical formation (φ_ce) in such reactions. The stochastic Liouville equation formalism is employed to model the reaction behaviour of distance-distributed, triplet-born radical pairs (RPs) undergoing free diffusion, distance- and spin-dependent backward electron transfer, coherent and incoherent spin evolution in the ps time domain. In comparison with real systems the spin situation is simplified by reducing it to a two state (S, T ₀) problem, yet it is parametrized in a way that allows sensible comparison of the results with those of recent experiments. It is predicted that the MFE on φ_ce exhibits characteristic minima in the MFE versus viscosity curves, and it is verified in detail that this feature is peculiar to the diffusional model with distance-dependent electron transfer, i.e. cannot be reproduced with the simpler (‘exponential’) RP model employing distance-independent rate constants. Thus, the MFE versus viscosity curves are established as a genuine fingerprint of distance-dependent electron transfer. The theoretical results compare favourably with recent experimental results obtained with Ru^III complex/methylviologen RPs.     

Decomposition of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) using NTP coupled with TiO2/GAC,ZnO/GAC,and TiO2–ZnO/GAC in a plasma-assisted catalysis system

No study was found in the literature on the catalytic effect of TiO₂/GAC (Granular activated carbon), ZnO/GAC, and TiO₂–ZnO/GAC combined with non-thermal plasma (NTP) for the decomposition of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) in gas streams. In the present study, this catalytic NTP process was investigated to examine the effect of specific input energy (SIE), initial concentration, as well as residence time on the removal efficiency (RE) of CVOCs in a corona discharge reactor energized by a high frequency pulsed power supply. A dip-coating sol–gel impregnation technique was used to coat TiO₂, ZnO, and mixture of TiO₂–ZnO nanoparticles on GAC, which were then combined with NTP in a two-stage configuration. The results revealed that the efficacy of the catalysts was in the order TiO₂–ZnO/GAC ≅ TiO₂/GAC > ZnO/GAC with chloroform feeding, while when chlorobenzene introduced, the order changed to TiO₂–ZnO/GAC > ZnO/GAC > TiO₂/GAC. A significant enhancement was observed with RE as catalysts coupled with NTP in all cases and a RE of 100% was achieved in the presence of both TiO₂/GAC and TiO₂–ZnO/GAC at SIE of ca. 400 J L⁻¹. Considerable improvement was also noticed for coupling TiO₂ and ZnO in both efficiency and catalyst life time.     

Remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity by sulfur-doped titanium dioxide in nanohybrids with carbon nanotubes

TiO₂ doped S nanohybrids with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized with CNTs, thiourea and TiO₂ nanoparticles. The result indicated that the TiO₂ nanoparticles with about 8 nm in size are attached on the sidewall of CNTs. The nanohybrids material can absorb at longer wavelength and the absorption even covers the whole range of visible region than that only TiO₂ nanoparticles. Application of the catalysts to photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) was tested under visible light irradiation. The result suggests that a high MB degradation activity of S-TiO₂/CNTs due to a reduce band gap of TiO₂ when S is doped, and the decrease in the possibility of electron–hole recombination by CNTs. In addition, the density functional-theory (DFT) calculations of the electronic band structures and density of states (DOS) to understand the bonding states between TiO₂ and CNTs, proved that the TiO₂/CNTs system is stable.