Photocatalytic decolouration,degradation and disinfection capability of Ag2CO3/ZnO in natural sunlight

In this study, a series of hybrid Ag₂CO₃/ZnO composites were synthesised via a simple precipitation route and investigated for discolouration-degradation of Methylene Blue and disinfection of Escherichia coli in natural sunlight. It was observed that the photonic efficiency of discolouration was more than 6 times that of the conventionally popular TiO₂, under experimental conditions; 100% Total Organic Carbon reduction was observed in 30 ?min and 32% disinfection in an hour. This upswing in the performance is attributed to favourable modulation of the dynamics of charge transfer. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller and Ultraviolet–Visible-Near-InfraRed Spectroscopy. An equitable photocatalyst functional mechanism has also been proposed on the basis of Tauc plot and scavenging experiments. The effect of influencing parameters has also been investigated and reported in terms of photonic efficiency. Since the entire study is carried out in direct sunlight, it inherently supports realizable solar energy applications in wastewater treatment.     

Unusual photoreactivity of zinc oxide irradiated by concentrated sunlight

The decrease of fluorescence emission of phenol was studied in the presence of photoactive oxides (TiO₂, ZnO and Fe₂O₃) irradiated with a sodium lamp, direct sunlight (1 sun) and concentrated sunlight (40–50 suns) in aqueous solutions. As expected photodegradation of phenol was seen to be faster for all of the oxides irradiated by concentrated sunlight. The photodegradation capacity of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is superior to that of zinc oxide (ZnO) and ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃) under a sodium lamp and direct sunlight, but ZnO is found to be as reactive as TiO₂ under concentrated sunlight. It has been shown that ZnO is a low cost alternative solar photocatalyst to TiO₂ for degradation of organics in aqueous solutions.     

Straightforward Synthesis of Mn3O4/ZnO/Eu2O3-Based Ternary Heterostructure Nano-Photocatalyst and Its Application for the Photodegradation of Methyl Orange and Methylene Blue Dyes

Zinc oxide-ternary heterostructure Mn₃O₄/ZnO/Eu₂O₃ nanocomposites were successfully prepared via waste curd as fuel by a facile one-pot combustion procedure. The fabricated heterostructures were characterized utilizing XRD, UV–Visible, FT-IR, FE-SEM, HRTEM and EDX analysis. The photocatalytic degradation efficacy of the synthesized ternary nanocomposite was evaluated utilizing model organic pollutants of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) in water as examples of cationic dyes and anionic dyes, respectively, under natural solar irradiation. The effect of various experimental factors, viz. the effect of a light source, catalyst dosage, irradiation time, pH of dye solution and dye concentration on the photodegradation activity, was systematically studied. The ternary Mn₃O₄/ZnO/Eu₂O₃ photocatalyst exhibited excellent MB and MO degradation activity of 98% and 96%, respectively, at 150 min under natural sunlight irradiation. Experiments further conclude that the fabricated nanocomposite exhibits pH-dependent photocatalytic efficacy, and for best results, concentrations of dye and catalysts have to be maintained in a specific range. The prepared photocatalysts are exemplary and could be employed for wastewater handling and several ecological applications.     

Facile synthesis of ZnO/CuO/Eu heterostructure photocatalyst for the degradation of industrial effluent

Zinc oxide-based ternary heterostructure ZnO/CuO/Eu(1%, 3%, and 5% of Eu) nanoparticles were effectively produced by employing Vigna unguiculata (cowpea)waste skin extract as fuel in a simple one-pot combustion process. The as-synthesized heterostructure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction studies, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy techniques. Besides, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the as-obtained ternary nanocomposite was evaluated under UV light for the degradation of model organic pollutants including methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine-B (RB), and an effluent sample collected from the textile industrial waste. During this study, the effect of a variety of parameters on the photodegradation activity of the photocatalysts has been thoroughly evaluated, such as light source, catalyst dose, irradiation period, dye concentration, solution pH, etc. Under UV irradiation(100 mins), the ternary ZnO/CuO/Eu photocatalyst demonstrated excellent degradation activity of ～99 and ～93% for MB and RB, respectively, while for the industrial effluent, a decent degradation activity of 42% has been recorded. Further experiments have revealed a pH and concentration-dependent photocatalytic behavior of the heterostructure photocatalyst. Therefore, the results suggest that the heterostructure photocatalyst can be potentially applied for wastewater treatment and other environmental applications.     

ZnO nanopowders and their excellent solar light/UV photocatalytic activity on degradation of dye in wastewater

Low-cost and scalable preparation,high photocatalytic activity,and convenient recycle of Zn O nanopowders(NPs)would determine their practical application in purifying wastewater.In this contribution,ZnO NPs were scalably synthesized via the simple reaction of Zn powder with H_2O vapor in autoclave.The structural,morphological and optical properties of the samples were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectra,transmission electron microscopy,Micro-Raman,photoluminescence,and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.The as-prepared Zn O NPs are composed of nanoparticles with 100–150 nm in diameter,and have a small Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 6.85 m~2/g.The formation of Zn O nanoparticles is relative to the peeling of H_2 release.Furthermore,the product has big strain-stress leading to the red-shift in the band gap of product,and shows a strong green emission centered at 515 nm revealing enough atomic defects in Zn O NPs.As a comparison with P25,the obtained dust gray Zn O NPs have a strong absorbance in the region of 200–700 nm,suggesting the wide wave-band utilization in sunlight.Based on the traits above,the Zn O NPs show excellent photocatalytic activity on the degradation of rhodamine B(Rh-B)under solar light irradiation,close to that under UV irradiation.Importantly,the Zn O NPs could be well recycled in water due to the quick sedimentation in themselves in solution.The low-cost and scalable preparation,high photocatalytic activity,and convenient recycle of Zn O NPs endow themselves with promising application in purifying wastewater.     

A study on the degradation of methamidophos in the presence of nano-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> catalyst doped with Re

A new Re-doped nano-TiO₂ photocatalyst was synthesized by immersion method. The novel doped nano-TiO₂ photocatalyst utilizing visible light was firstly prepared. The doped nano-TiO₂ powder was charactered by XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, and its photocatalytic activity was tested through the photocatalytic degradation of methamidophos as a model compound under ultraviolet irradiating and in sunlight, respectively. In order to compare the photocatalytic activities, the same experiment was carried out for undoped nano-TiO₂. The degradation ratio of methamidophos in the presence of doped nano-TiO₂ reached 64.40% under sunlight for 12 h, which was 2.64% in the presence of undoped nano-TiO₂. The degradation ratio of methamidophos in the presence of doped nanoTiO₂ reached 90.39% under UV irradiationat 2.5 h, which was 51.29% in the presence of undoped nano-TiO₂. All the results show that the doped TiO₂ is a promising photocatalyst using sunlight for treating the organophosphorous pesticide wastewater. The article is published in the original.     

Sunlight-Active BiOI Photocatalyst as an Efficient Adsorbent for the Removal of Organic Dyes and Antibiotics from Aqueous Solutions

A bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) photocatalyst with excellent sunlight-driven performance was synthesized by a solvothermal route without the addition of surfactants or capping agents. The prepared photocatalyst exhibited a tetragonal phase with an energy band gap of 2.15 eV. The efficiency of the photocatalyst was elucidated by monitoring the photodegradation of organic dyes and antibiotics. The BiOI photocatalyst provided a 95% removal of norfloxacin (NOR) antibiotics under visible light illumination. Interestingly, the complete removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye was achieved after 80 min of natural sunlight irradiation. The photodegradation reaction followed the first-order reaction. Both photo-generated holes and electrons play vital roles in the photodegradation of the pollutant. The BiOI photocatalyst remains stable and still shows a high efficiency even after the fifth run. This confirms the great cycling ability and high structural stability of the photocatalyst. The prepared BiOI catalyst, with a high surface area of 118 m² g⁻¹, can act as an excellent adsorbent as well. The synergistic effect based on both adsorption and photocatalysis is a key factor in achieving a very high removal efficiency. The photoactivity under sunlight is higher than that observed under visible light, supporting the practical use of the BiOI photocatalyst for the removal of organic pollutants in wastewater through the utilization of abundant solar energy.     

Reduced-graphene-oxide-wrapped BiOI-AgI heterostructured nanocomposite as a high-performance photocatalyst for dye degradation under solar light irradiation

Solar photocatalytic water treatment has emerged as a promising way to provide clean water. However, most traditional photocatalysts (TiO₂, ZnO, etc.) are active only under ultraviolet light and have high recombination rates of photoinduced electron-hole pairs; therefore, they are not sufficient to fulfill all of the demands of practical applications. This problem could be overcome by developing highly solar-light-active and durable heterostructured photocatalysts. In this study, a new solar-light-active heterostructured reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/BiOI/AgI photocatalyst was successfully fabricated through a simple precipitation method. The resultant heterostructured RGO/BiOI/AgI nanocomposite exhibited extraordinary photocatalytic performance in the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated sunlight irradiation. The measured rate constant of the RGO/BiOI/AgI nanocomposite was six times higher than that of bare BiOI nanostructures. Its extraordinary capacity for harvesting full-spectrum light and long-term stability makes the RGO/BiOI/AgI nanocomposite a potential photocatalyst for environmental remediation.     

Photocatalytic Reduction of Greenhouse Gas CO2 to Fuel

Sun is the Earth’s ultimate and inexhaustible energy source. One of the best routes to remedy the CO₂ problem is to convert it to valuable hydrocarbons using solar energy. In this study, CO₂ was photocatalytically reduced to produce methanol, methane and ethylene in a steady-state optical-fiber reactor under artificial light and real sunlight irradiation. The photocatalyst was dip-coated on the optical fibers that enable the light to transmit and spread uniformly inside the reactor. The optical-fiber photoreactor, comprised of nearly 120 photocatalyst-coated fibers, was designed and assembled. The XRD spectra indicated the anatase phase for all photocatalysts. It is found that the methanol yield increased with UV light intensity. A maximum methanol yield of 4.12 μmole/g-cat h is obtained when 1.0 wt% Ag/TiO₂ photocatalyst was used under a light intensity of 10 W/cm². When mixed oxide, TiO₂–SiO₂, is doped with Cu and Fe metals, the resulting photocatalysts show substantial difference in hydrocarbon production as well as product selectivity. Methane and ethylene were produced on Cu–Fe loaded TiO₂–SiO₂ photocatalyst. Since dye-sensitized Cu–Fe/P25 photocatalyst can fully harvest the light energy of 400–800 nm from sunlight, its photoactivity was significantly enhanced. Finally, CO₂ photoreduction was studied by in situ IR spectroscopy and possible mechanism for the photoreaction was proposed.     

Magnetically separable ZnO/ZnFe2O4 and ZnO/CoFe2O4 photocatalysts supported onto nitrogen doped graphene for photocatalytic degradation of toxic dyes

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) counting heterogeneous photocatalysis has confirmed as one of the preeminent method for waste water remediation. In the present work, we have successfully fabricated novel visible-light-driven nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) supported magnetic ZnO/ZnFe₂O₄ (ZnO/ZF/NG) and ZnO/CoFe₂O₄ (ZnO/CF/NG) nanocomposites. ZnO synthesized via direct precipitation method. Hydrothermal method was used for the preparation of nitrogen-doped graphene supported magnetic ZnO/ZF (ZnO/ZnFe₂O₄) and ZnO/CF (ZnO/CoFe₂O₄) nanocomposites. The procured materials were scrutinized by assorted characterizations to acquire information on their chemical composition, crystalline structure and photosensitive properties. The absorption and photocatalytic performance of photocatalysts were studied via UV–Visible spectra. Photodegradation performance of the synthesized nanocomposites was estimated toward mineralization of methyl orange (MO) and malachite green (MG) dyes in aqueous solution. The high surface area of ZnO/ZF/NG and ZnO/CF/NG was suitable for adsorptive removal of MO and MG dyes. The photodegradation performance of heterojunction photocatalysts was superior to bare photocatalyst in 140 min under visible-light irradiation. Spectrophotometer, GC–MS (Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) elucidation was carried out to expose the possible intermediates formed. Both ZnO/ZF/NG and ZnO/CF/NG were rapidly isolated from the aqueous phase by applying an external magnetic field in 20 sec and 2 min, respectively. The photocatalytic performance and stability of ZnO/ZF/NG and ZnO/CF/NG nanocomposites were confirmed by conducting 10 consecutive regeneration cycles. Owing to recyclability of ZnO/ZF/NG and ZnO/CF/NG, these heterogeneous nanocomposites might be used as cost-effective for treatment of discarded water. The observations endorse that the synthesized ternary heterogeneous nanocomposites facilitates wastewater decontamination using photocatalytic technology.     

TiO2 as a Photocatalyst for Water Splitting—An Experimental and Theoretical Review

Hydrogen produced from water using photocatalysts driven by sunlight is a sustainable way to overcome the intermittency issues of solar power and provide a green alternative to fossil fuels. TiO₂ has been used as a photocatalyst since the 1970s due to its low cost, earth abundance, and stability. There has been a wide range of research activities in order to enhance the use of TiO₂ as a photocatalyst using dopants, modifying the surface, or depositing noble metals. However, the issues such as wide bandgap, high electron-hole recombination time, and a large overpotential for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) persist as a challenge. Here, we review state-of-the-art experimental and theoretical research on TiO₂ based photocatalysts and identify challenges that have to be focused on to drive the field further. We conclude with a discussion of four challenges for TiO₂ photocatalysts—non-standardized presentation of results, bandgap in the ultraviolet (UV) region, lack of collaboration between experimental and theoretical work, and lack of large/small scale production facilities. We also highlight the importance of combining computational modeling with experimental work to make further advances in this exciting field.     

Photocatalytic degradation of acid blue 74 in water using Ag–Ag2O–Zno nanostuctures anchored on graphene oxide

Water pollution due to industrial effluents from industries which utilize dyes in the manufacturing of their products has serious implications on aquatic lives and the general environment. Thus, there is need for the removal of dyes from wastewater before being discharged into the environment. In this study, a nanocomposite consisting of silver, silver oxide (Ag₂O), zinc oxide (ZnO) and graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized, characterized and photocatalytically applied in the degradation (and possibly mineralization) of organic pollutants in water treatment process. The Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO nanostructure was synthesized by a co-precipitation method and calcined at 400 °C. It was functionalized using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane and further anchored on carboxylated graphene oxide via the formation of an amide bond to give the Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO/GO nanocomposite. The prepared nanocomposite was characterized by UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. The applicability of Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO/GO nanocomposite as a photocatalyst was investigated in the photocatalytic degradation of acid blue 74 dye under visible light irradiation in synthetic wastewater containing the dye. The results indicated that Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO/GO nanocomposite has a higher photocatalytic activity (90% removal) compared to Ag–Ag₂O–ZnO (85% removal) and ZnO (75% removal) respectively and thus lends itself to application in water treatment, where the removal of organics is very important.     

The improvement of solar photocatalytic activity of ZnO by doping with Er3+:Y3Al5O12 during dye degradation

The Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂, an upconversion luminescence agent, which is able to transform the visible light to ultraviolet light, was synthesized by nitrate-citric acid method. And then, a novel photocatalyst, Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂/ZnO composites, was prepared by ultrasonic dispersing and liquid boil method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the structural morphology and surface properties of the Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂/ZnO. Azo Fuchsine dye was selected as target organic pollutant to inspect the photocatalytic activity of Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂/ZnO. The key parameters affecting the photocatalytic activity of Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂/ZnO, such as Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ content, heat-treatment temperature and heat-treatment time, were studied. In addition, the effects of dye initial concentration, Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂/ZnO amount and solar light irradiation time were also reviewed, as well as the photocatalytic activity in degradation of other organic dyes were compared. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂/ZnO was much superior to pure ZnO under the same conditions. Thus, the Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂/ZnO is a useful photocatalyst for the wastewater treatment because it can efficiently utilize solar light by converting visible light into ultraviolet light.     

Optimal production of vanillin and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde from rice straw hydrolysis residue (RSHR) over TiO2/UV and ZnO/UV system

Numerous approaches and technologies have been used in the past few decades to produce value-added chemicals from waste lignin. However, the existing technologies were not efficient and economical to produce the value-added chemicals. Rice straw hydrolysis residue (RSHR) was subjected to alkali treatment followed by photocatalysis with a 125 W UV bulb. Producing vanillin and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde was confirmed by GCMS. The process parameters, irradiation time (IT), and catalyst dose (CD) were optimized using RSM to obtain the maximum yields of responses. Experiments were designed as per matrix generated according to central composite design (CCD) over TiO₂ and ZnO photocatalyst. The formation of compounds first increased attained their maxima, and thereafter decreased with increasing irradiation time. The higher dose of catalysts gradually increased the formation of compounds in all cases. To get maximum production of compounds, ZnO photocatalyst was found better than TiO₂ photocatalyst. The statistical analysis was also carried out in terms of RMSE, R², AAD, and % error band that showed a good agreement with the experimental results in all cases. However, the RSM model showed excellence for 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde production as compared to vanillin production over both catalysts.     

Selective solar photocatalytic oxidation of ethylbenzene on C,N, and S doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The liquid-phase photo-oxidation of ethylbenzene (EB) is investigated in solar light with air/O₂/N₂ at atmospheric pressure, in a batch reactor using acetonitrile medium. It is carried out over TiO₂ doped with C, N, and S (TCNS) photocatalyst samples. The photocatalytic oxidation yielded acetophenone (33%) and 1-phenylethanol (21%) at 56% conversion of EB during a 6-h irradiation time. This product distribution indicates that C–H bond activation has occurred only at the alkyl chain. The effects of the EB to water content ratio, amount of photocatalyst and its sustainability, pH, have been studied. It is illustrated that the reaction carried out by this environmentally friendly photocatalysis is truly heterogeneous under mild conditions using solar light and no waste generation. An optimum loading of TCNS5 was observed for the photo-oxidation of EB.     

Dark Color ZnO Quasi-One-Dimensional Nanostructures Grown by Hydrothermal Method and Modulation of their Optical Properties

Zinc oxide has a large energy gap and thus it has potential application in the field of solar cells by tuning the absorption of sunlight. In order to enhance its absorption of sunlight, dark color zinc oxides have been prepared by traditional hydrothermal method directly using a zinc foil as both source and substrate. We found that we could tune the optical properties of ZnO samples by changing the temperature. In particular, increasing temperature could significantly reduce the reflectivity of solar energy in the visible range. We speculate that the phenomenon is relevant to the sharp cone morphology of the ZnO nanorods grown on the surface of Zn foils, which furthermore enhance refraction and reflection of light in the nanorods. The capacity to improve the light absorption of ZnO may have a bright application in raising the efficiency of solar cells.     

微波水热两步法合成高可见光响应Ag2S/ZnO及其光催化性能、机理

在不同的制备条件下,通过微波水热两步法获得了一系列Ag₂S/ZnO光催化剂,采用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱(UV-Vis/DRS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和N₂吸附-脱附等测试手段对产物结构和形貌进行了表征。结果表明,产物以六方纤锌矿ZnO为主,其晶型结构并未随着反应温度和Ag₂S物质的量的增加而改变。Ag₂S的引入显著增强了光催化剂在可见光区的吸收,使吸收边带发生红移,同时抑制了ZnO(001)晶面的生长。另外,所得产物的形貌随着Ag₂S物质的量的增加从爆米花状转变为少量的柱体颗粒,且BET比表面积经过复合后明显减小。以罗丹明B为目标降解物,研究并比较了一系列Ag₂S/ZnO光催化剂对罗丹明B的光降解性能。结果表明,n_Ag2S/n_ZnO=1:10时,光催化剂在紫外光、可见光和模拟日光的照射下具有最好的光催化效果,优于目前应用最广泛的市售P25。另外,所制备的光催化材料Ag₂S/ZnO经4次循环使用后,其降解效率没有明显下降,表明该催化材料具有一定的光催化稳定性。经捕获实验研究发现,在Ag₂S/ZnO的光催化反应中空穴起主要作用,并根据绝对电负性估算了复合材料Ag₂S/ZnO的能带位置,据此提出了可能的光催化反应机理。     

Highly reusable chitosan-stabilized Fe-ZnO immobilized onto fiberglass cloth and the photocatalytic degradation properties in batch and loop reactors

The new design of the photocatalytic reactor is crucial to study for improving compatibility and scaling up the operation. A compatible loop photocatalytic reactor has been designed and used for rhodamine B decomposition. The photocatalysts were either ZnO or Fe-ZnO immobilized onto fiberglass cloth. The ZnO catalyst exhibited high crystallinity with or without Fe as the dopant. The crystallite size increased with the presence of Fe in the lattices. Most of the crystal parameters matched the standard ZnO data, and the cluster size was comparable to most reported studies. Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) analysis confirmed the photon absorption shifted to the visible light range. The Fe dopant decreased the ZnO bandgap, and SEM-EDS confirmed the catalysts adhered to the fiberglass surface. The volume, thickness of the substrate solution, and reaction temperature influenced the photocatalytic-degradation rate. The photocatalytic degradation rate was higher under sunlight than ultraviolet irradiation. The reaction rate was lower in the batch reactor than in the loop reactor. The photocatalytic reaction almost completely mineralized RhB and changed the red solution to colorless. The immobilized photocatalyst has been reused more than 50 times without significantly decreasing the catalytic activity.     

微波水热两步法合成高可见光响应Ag2S/ZnO及其光催化性能、机理

在不同的制备条件下,通过微波水热两步法获得了一系列Ag₂S/ZnO光催化剂,采用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱(UV-Vis/DRS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和N₂吸附-脱附等测试手段对产物结构和形貌进行了表征。结果表明,产物以六方纤锌矿ZnO为主,其晶型结构并未随着反应温度和Ag₂S物质的量的增加而改变。Ag₂S的引入显著增强了光催化剂在可见光区的吸收,使吸收边带发生红移,同时抑制了ZnO(001)晶面的生长。另外,所得产物的形貌随着Ag₂S物质的量的增加从爆米花状转变为少量的柱体颗粒,且BET比表面积经过复合后明显减小。以罗丹明B为目标降解物,研究并比较了一系列Ag₂S/ZnO光催化剂对罗丹明B的光降解性能。结果表明,n_Ag2S/n_ZnO为1:10时,光催化剂在紫外光、可见光和模拟日光的照射下具有最好的光催化效果,优于目前应用最广泛的市售P25。另外,所制备的光催化材料Ag₂S/ZnO经4次循环使用后,其降解效率没有明显下降,表明该催化材料具有一定的光催化稳定性。经捕获实验研究发现,在Ag₂S/ZnO的光催化反应中空穴起主要作用,并根据绝对电负性估算了复合材料Ag₂S/ZnO的能带位置,据此提出了可能的光催化反应机理。     

Preparation,characterization and activity evaluation of p–n junction photocatalyst p-NiO/n-ZnO

In this paper, p–n junction photocatalyst NiO/ZnO was prepared by the sol–gel method using Ni (NO₃)₂ and zinc acetate as the raw materials. The structural and optical properties of the p–n junction photocatalyst NiO/ZnO were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, UV–Vis diffuse reflection spectrum (DRS) and the fluorescence emission spectra. The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst was evaluated by photocatalytic reduction of Cr₂O₇ ²⁻ and photocatalytic oxidation of methyl orange (MO). The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of the p–n junction photocatalyst NiO/ZnO is much higher than that of ZnO on the photocatalytic reduction of Cr₂O₇ ²⁻. However, the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst is much lower than that of ZnO on the photocatalytic oxidation of methyl orange. Namely, the p–n junction photocatalyst NiO/ZnO has higher photocatalytic reduction activity, but lower photocatalytic oxidation activity. The heat treatment condition also influences the photocatalytic activity strongly, and the best preparation condition is about 400 °C for 2 h. Effect of the heat treatment condition on the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst was also investigated. The mechanisms of influence on the photocatalytic activity were discussed by the p–n junction principle.