Ultrastable Au nanocatalyst supported on surface-modified TiO2 nanocrystals

The surfaces of TiO2 nanocrystals were modified with amorphous aluminum-oxide layers using a surface sol-gel process to control the interaction between supports and metal particles. Ultrastable Au nanocatalysts were prepared by the deposition of Au nanoparticles on the surface-modified TiO2 nanocrystals using a deposition-precipitation (DP) method. The TEM analysis showed that the Au nanoparticles on the surface-modified nanocrystal supports were highly stable with a sinter-resistant capability during high-temperature calcination. The HRTEM analysis revealed that the surface of the TiO2 nanocrystals was covered by an amorphous aluminum-oxide layer and the Au nanoparticles were primarily anchored to this amorphous layer. This amorphous aluminum-oxide layer played an extremely important role in the stabilization of the supported Au nanoparticles without affecting catalytic activities. The surface modification of nanocrystal supports highlights new opportunities in tailoring the stability and activity of supported nanocatalyst systems.     

Fabrication of platy apatite nanocrystals loaded with TiO2 nanoparticles by two-step emulsion method and their photocatalytic activity

Nanometer-sized TiO(2) island structure on the platy hydroxyapatite nanocrystals (HAp) has been accomplished by two-step emulsion process. At the first step, platy HAp nanocrystals, of which size was in the range of 70-200 nm after heat-treatment at 1078 K for 1 h, were prepared using the W/O emulsion system. Before the second step, HAp nanocrystals were immersed in NaH(2)PO(4) solution for the formation of hydroxyl group on their surface. In the following, titanium tetraisopropoxide reacted with the hydroxyl group of HAp surface to form TiO(2) nanoparticles on the surface of HAp nanocrystals, which were dispersed in the micrometer-sized methanol droplets of polyethylene cetylether-cyclohexane mixture (methanol/oil emulsion). The resulting hydroxyapatite nanocrystals loaded with TiO(2) nanoparticles showed the high photocatalytic activity comparing to the commercial TiO(2) catalyst.     

Solvothermal and surfactant-free synthesis of crystalline Nb(2)O(5), Ta(2)O(5), HfO(2), and Co-doped HfO(2) nanoparticles

A simple route to niobium, hafnium and tantalum oxide nanocrystals using a nonaqueous sol-gel route based on the solvothermal reaction of the corresponding metal chlorides with benzyl alcohol is presented. This approach can easily be extended to the preparation of high quality Co-doped HfO(2) nanoparticles of uniform size and shape and with a homogenous distribution of the magnetic ions. The structural characterization of all these nanomaterials as well as the magnetic properties of pure and doped hafnia, with special attention to the doping efficiency, are discussed. The obtained Co-doped hafnia exhibits paramagnetic properties with very weak antiferromagnetic interactions between Co ions moments.     

制备均一形貌的长二氧化钛纳米管

在温和的水热条件下,用碱溶液处理不同粒径的锐钛矿相和金红石相二氧化钛 纳米粉体,得到了不同形貌的二氧化钛纳米管,并用TEM,XRD,FT-Raman和BET等 对其进行了表征。金红石相的超细纳米晶有利于形成均一形貌的纳米管,用粒径仅 为7.2 nm的金红石相纳米粉体为前驱体得到了长度为500 nm的长二氧化钛纳米管。 用纳米晶反应活性对晶粒尺寸的依赖性及晶相稳定性解释了长纳米管的形成机理。     

掺Sn的纳米TiO2表面光致电荷分离及光催化活性

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了不同掺Sn量的TiO₂纳米粒子, 主要利用表面光电压谱(SPS)和光致发光光谱(PL)对样品进行了表征, 并通过光催化降解苯酚实验来评估样品活性. 重点考察了热处理温度和掺Sn量对样品表面光生载流子的分离及光催化活性的影响, 并探讨了Sn使TiO₂纳米粒子改性的机制. 结果表明, 在适当温度处理下, 适量Sn的掺入能够有效促进TiO₂纳米粒子表面光生载流子的分离, 以至于使其光催化活性得到显著提高.     

Facile control of surface wettability in TiO2/poly(methyl methacrylate) composite films

A facile method to produce very hydrophobic surface was developed simply using the mixture of TiO(2) nanoparticles and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). When the volume ratio of TiO(2) to PMMA is between 35 vol.% and 50 vol.%, the mixture of two hydrophilic materials became very hydrophobic. Analysis of the molecular structure by infrared spectroscopy shows that the preferential orientation and attachment of a carbonyl group of a polymer molecule to the surface of TiO(2) nanoparticles play a critical role in the appearance of the strong hydrophobicity. When this composite was exposed to UV light, PMMA on the surface of the mixture film was decomposed through a photocatalytic reaction and the very hydrophobic surface turned to the superhydrophilic one. The superhydrophilic property of UV-irradiated composite lasts as long as several months. This long lasting superhydrophilicity is ascribed to the porous structure, which provides high roughness and strong capillary interaction. Easy transition from strong hydrophobicity to superhydrophilicity in TiO(2)/PMMA composites could be applied to designing high contrast hydrophilic/hydrophobic patterns.     

Co掺杂对TiO2光催化剂结构与性能的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了Co掺杂的TiO2粉末, 利用透射电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱、紫外可见光谱和X射线衍射技术对粉末进行了表征, 并利用环形光催化反应器对其光催化活性进行了测试. 结果表明, 随焙烧温度的增加, Co/TiO2粉末的晶粒尺寸逐渐增大, 升至873 K时, 钴元素以CoTiO3形式从TiO2中析出, 同时TiO2由锐钛矿型向金红石型发生转变, 相转变过程中晶格常数a和c以及晶胞体积发生收缩. 掺杂钴以后, 粉末的光谱吸收范围被拓展至可见光, 但是其光催化活性却明显降低.     

Morphological and photoelectrochemical characterization of core-shell nanoparticle films for dye-sensitized solar cells: Zn-O type shell on SnO2 and TiO2 cores

Core-shell type nanoparticles with SnO2 and TiO2 cores and zinc oxide shells were prepared and characterized by surface sensitive techniques. The influence of the structure of the ZnO shell and the morphology ofnanoparticle films on the performance was evaluated. X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies show the presence of thin ZnO-like shells around the nanoparticles at low Zn levels. In the case of SnO2 cores, ZnO nanocrystals are formed at high Zn/Sn ratios (ca. 0.5). Scanning electron microscopy studies show that Zn modification of SnO2 nanoparticles changes the film morphology from a compact mesoporous structure to a less dense macroporous structure. In contrast, Zn modification of TiO2 nanoparticles has no apparent influence on film morphology. For SnO2 cores, adding ZnO improves the solar cell efficiency by increasing light scattering and dye uptake and decreasing recombination. In contrast, adding a ZnO shell to the TiO2 core decreases the cell efficiency, largely owing to a loss of photocurrent resulting from slow electron transport associated with the buildup of the ZnO surface layer.     

Controlled synthesis of highly dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles using SBA-15 as hard template

Highly dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a wet impregnation method using SBA-15 as hard template for confining the growth of TiO2 nanocrystals, and then calcined at 550 degrees C in muffle furnace for 2 h. The as-synthesized samples were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD), nitrogen adsorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence spectra (PL). It was found that SBA-15 contained abundant silanol groups after removal of triblock copolymers by ethanol extraction and could easily adsorb a great number of titanium alkoxide via chemisorption. After subsequent hydrolysis of the anchored Ti complexes and calcination of the amorphous TiO2, anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with spherical shape and uniform particle diameter of about 6 nm were formed. A blue shift was observed in UV-vis absorption spectra due to the quantum size effect of TiO2 nanoparticles. Moreover, the as-prepared TiO2 nanoparticles showed a high PL intensity due to an increase in the recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes under UV light irradiation.     

Size control synthesis of sulfur doped titanium dioxide （anatase） nanoparticles, its optical property and its photo catalytic reactivity for CO2 ＋ H2O conversion and phenol degradation

Sulfur doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (3 nm−12 nm) were synthesized by the reaction of titanium tetrachloride, water and sulfuric acid with addition of 3M NaOH at room temperature. The electro-optical and photocatalytic properties of the synthesized sulfur doped TiO2 nanoparticles were studied along with Degussa commercial TiO2 particles (24 nm). The results show that band gap of TiO2 particles decreases from 3.31 to 3.25 eV and for that of commercial TiO2 to 3.2 eV when the particle sizes increased from 3 nm to 12 nm with increase in sulfur doping. The results of the photocatalytic activity under UV and sun radiation show maximum phenol conversion at the particle size of 4 nm at 4.80% S-doping. Similar results are obtained using UV energy for both phenol conversion and conversion of CO2+H2O in which formation of methanol, ethanol and proponal is observed. Production of methanol is also achieved on samples with a particle size of 8 and 12 nm and sulfur doping of 4.80% and 5.26%. For TiO2 particle of 4 nm without S doping, the production of methanol, ethanol and proponal was lower as compared to the S-doped particles. This is attributed to the combined electronic effect and band gap change, S dopant, specific surface area and the light source used.     

活性炭负载Cu离子掺杂纳米TiO2颗粒的制备及光催化性能

采用溶胶-凝胶法在活性炭(AC)表面负载掺杂Cu离子的TiO2纳米颗粒, 制备负载型掺杂Cu2+-TiO2/AC复合光催化剂, 采用XRD, ESR, FS, UV-Vis和BET等手段对其进行了表征, 通过罗丹明B的光催化降解试验, 分析活性炭载体的比表面积和Cu离子掺杂量对负载型掺杂催化剂光催化活性的影响. 结果表明, Cu以+2价存在, Ti以少量的+3价存在; TiO2纳米颗粒具有量子尺寸效应, 吸光阈值显著蓝移, 并使光谱相应范围向可见光区拓展; 另外, 适量Cu离子的掺杂降低了负载型TiO2/AC的荧光强度. 负载和高温处理没有改变活性炭载体的微观结构. 以AC3为载体和质量分数为3%的Cu离子掺杂所制备的3%Cu2+-TiO2/AC3催化剂的活性最高, 并且该催化剂便于回收, 在重复使用中也表现出很高的光催化活性.     

Effects of Cobalt Doping on the Microstructure and Optical Properties of ZnAl2O4 Nanoparticles

Co-doped ZnAl₂O₄ nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized by XRD, HRTEM, EDX, FT-IR, XPS, PL, and UV–Vis, and the effects of cobalt doping on the microstructure and optical property of the samples were studied. The experimental results showed that Co-doped ZnAl₂O₄ nanoparticles synthesized by this method are single phase with cubic crystal structure, no other impurity phases were observed. Furthermore, with increasing the Co²⁺ concentration, the average crystallite size of the Co-doped samples became smaller. The absorption bands in FT-IR spectra are broadened in the low frequency region, the PL spectra had the red-shift and the UV–Vis peaks intensity gradually enhanced.

     

Synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles on the Au(111) surface

The growth of titanium oxide nanoparticles on reconstructed Au(111) was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ti was deposited by physical-vapor deposition at 300 K. Regular arrays of titanium nanoparticles form by preferential nucleation of Ti at the elbow sites of the herringbone reconstruction. The titanium oxide nanoclusters were synthesized by subsequent exposure to O(2) at 300 K. Two-and three-dimensional titanium oxide nanocrystallites form during annealing in the temperature range from 600 to 900 K. At the same time, the Au(111) surface assumes a serrated 110-oriented step-edge morphology suggesting step-edge pinning by titanium oxide nanoparticles. The oxidation state of the titanium oxide nanoparticles varies with annealing temperature. Specifically, annealing to 900 K results in the formation of stoichiometric TiO(2) nanocrystals as judged by the Ti(2p) binding energies measured in the x-ray photoelectron data. The nanodispersed TiO(2) on Au(111) is an ideal system to test the various models proposed for the enhanced catalytic reactivity of supported Au nanoparticles.     

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of C.I. Basic Violet 2 using TiO2-SiO2 composite nanoparticles

In this report, TiO(2) -SiO(2) composite nanoparticles were prepared by the thermal hydrolysis method using titanium tetrachloride and tetraethylorthosilicate as TiO(2) and SiO(2) precursors, respectively. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), nitrogen adsorption/desorption and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The results indicated that, in comparison with pure TiO(2), TiO(2)-SiO(2) composite nanoparticles had a higher thermal stability, which prevents phase transformation from anatase to rutile. In addition, the TiO(2)-SiO(2) nanoparticles had a higher specific surface area, larger pore volume, greater band gap energy and smaller crystallite size. Thus, the surface area of TiO(2)-40% SiO(2) composite nanoparticles was about 17 times higher than that of pure TiO(2) nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activity of TiO(2)-SiO(2) composite nanoparticles in the photodegradation of C.I. Basic Violet 2 was investigated. The photodegradation rate of Basic Violet 2 using TiO(2)-40% SiO(2) nanoparticles calcined at 600°C was much faster than that using pure TiO(2) and Degussa P25 TiO(2) by 10.9 and 4.3 times, respectively. The higher photoactivity of the TiO(2)-SiO(2) composite nanoparticles was attributed to their higher surface area, larger pore volume, greater band-gap energy and smaller crystallite size compared with pure TiO(2).     

掺杂过渡金属离子的TiO2复合纳米粒子光催化剂──罗丹明B的光催化降解

在悬浮液体系中进行的半导体光催化降解反应中,催化剂的导带电子(或被俘获到半导体表面的电子)还原电解质溶液的O2分子(受主)是反应的决速步骤,O2分子接受电子后形成的超氧自由基O2-或羟基自由基HO·具有很强的氧化能力,能将污梁物氧化降解[13].     

TiO2-yNx纳米光催化剂的制备及其可见光响应机理

利用溶胶-凝胶技术,以尿素为氮源,采用原位掺杂方式制备了TiO2-yNx纳米粉体;以亚甲基蓝(MB)溶液在可见光下的光催化降解评价其可见光催化活性;考察了体系初始pH值、N的掺杂量和焙烧温度对样品可见光催化活性的影响。 结合XRD、XPS、ESR和DRS测试技术,研究了N掺杂纳米TiO2的可见光响应机理。 研究结果表明,TiO2-yNx纳米粉体的优化制备工艺条件为：体系初始pH=0.52,掺杂比n(N)∶n(Ti)=1∶6,焙烧温度为440 ℃。 此条件下制备的样品N含量为0.77%,为单一的锐钛矿相,平均粒径为19.0 nm,具有良好的可见光催化活性。 N掺杂导致TiO2纳米粉体的表面羟基含量增加,形成了大量束缚单电子的氧空位;N取代晶格O形成了N-Ti-O和O-N-Ti键合结构。 N掺杂导致TiO2纳米粒子的吸收带边红移,对可见光的吸收能力明显增强,这表明N掺杂改变TiO2电子结构,使带隙窄化,降低光响应阈值。 N掺杂TiO2纳米粒子的可见光响应归因于N取代掺杂形成的掺杂能级与氧空位形成的缺陷能级共同作用所致。     

Redispersible rutile TiO2 nanocrystals in organic media by surface chemical modification with an inorganic barium hydroxide

The present paper describes the synthesis of the redispersible rutile TiO2 nanocrystals in organic media by surface chemical modification reaction in an aqueous barium hydroxide solution. In our facile surface modification reactions, the surfaces of the TiO2 nanocrystals are coated by bimetallic TiOBa spices and saturated with BaOH terminal groups. The inherent characteristics such as morphology, size, crystallinity, and color of the nanocrystals remained almost unchanged after surface-treatment, but their dispersibility in organic media such as methanol and DMF were remarkably enhanced. It is ascribed that BaOH groups in the surface of the TiO2 nanocrystals prevented the formation of covalently bound agglomerates through Ti-O-Ti condensation reaction among the nanocrystals during the purification and water-elimination procedures.     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfur-titanium dioxide nanocomposites for photocatalytic oxidation of cyanide using visible light irradiation

A sol-gel method was used to prepare TiO2and sulfur-TiO2(S-TiO2)nanocomposites, which were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescene, ultraviolet visible and transmission electron microscopy measurements. The photocatalytic performance of TiO2 and S-TiO2nanocomposites, with respect to the photocatalytic oxidation of cyanide under visible light irradiation, was determined. The results reveal that S is well dispersed on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles. Additionally, the surface area of the S-TiO2nano-composites was observed to be smaller than that of the TiO2nanoparticles because of blocked pores caused by doping with S. The S-TiO2nanocomposite (0.3 wt% S) exhibited the lowest band gap and the highest photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of cyanide. The photocatalytic performance of S-TiO2(0.3 wt% S) nanocomposites was stable, even after the fifth reuse of the nanoparticles for the oxidation of cyanide.     

掺硼纳米TiO2的制备及光催化性能研究

采用改进的Sol-gel方法,制备了单分散椭球形微孔结构的掺B纳米TiO₂光催化剂,并用TG-DTA、XRD、XPS、UV-Vis、TEM、BET等手段进行表征.以难生化降解的染料罗丹明B为目标降解物,采用HPLC检测,通过不同光照时间下染料降解率考察了产物的光催化活性.结果表明,改进的Sol-gel法制得的光催化剂具有明显的孔结构,而且比表面积大、孔径分布窄、粒径小、分散性好;适量B的掺杂能够有效促进TiO₂纳米粒子的光催化活性.最佳催化剂制备条件:B掺杂的摩尔分数为20%、450℃煅烧2 h,此时所制得的B-TiO₂光催化剂活性比纯TiO₂有显著提高.     

Interplay of three-dimensional morphologies and photocarrier dynamics of polymer/TiO2 bulk heterojunction solar cells

In this study, we investigated the interplay of three-dimensional morphologies and the photocarrier dynamics of polymer/inorganic nanocrystal hybrid photoactive layers consisting of TiO(2) nanoparticles and nanorods. Electron tomography based on scanning transmission electron microscopy using high-angle annular dark-field imaging was performed to analyze the morphological organization of TiO(2) nanocrystals in poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in optimal solar cell devices. The Three-dimensional (3D) morphologies of these hybrid films were correlated with the photocarrier dynamics of charge separation, transport, and recombination, which were comprehensively probed by various transient techniques. Visualization of these 3D bulk heterojunction morphologies clearly reveals that elongated and anisotropic TiO(2) nanorods in P3HT not only can significantly reduce the probability of the interparticle hopping transport of electrons by providing better connectivity with respect to the TiO(2) nanoparticles, but also tend to form a large-scale donor-acceptor phase-separated morphology, which was found to enhance hole transport. The results support the establishment of a favorable morphology for polymer/inorganic hybrid solar cells due to the presence of the dimensionality of TiO(2) nanocrystals as a result of more effective mobile carrier generation and more efficient and balanced transport of carriers.