Shape-controlled synthesis and photocatalytic activity of In2O3 nanostructures derived from coordination polymer precursors

In（BTC）（phen）（H₂O）nanocrystals with controllable morphology and size were successfully obtained by solvothermal method.Hierarchical straw-sheaf-like architectures,nanorods and elongated hexagons have been synthesized by varying the volume ratio of DMF:H₂O:C₂H₅OH.Phase-pure In₂O₃nanocrystals were obtained by the calcination of the precursors without significant alteration of the morphology.The products were characterized by PXRD,SEM,TEM,TGA,IR and gas adsorption measurements.The photocatalytic effect was investigated for the In₂O₃ nanocrystals with different morphology on the degradation of rhodamine B（Rh B）and it was found that the nanorods exhibited the best photocatalytic activity,which shows the degradation efficiency of 94%for 8 h.The results showed that the photocatalytic activity increased with the increase of BET surface area and pore volume.     

Hydrogen generation from steam reforming of ethanol in dielectric barrier discharge

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was used for the generation of hydrogen from ethanol reforming. Effects of reaction conditions, such as vaporization temperature, ethanol flow rate, water/ethanol ratio, and addition of oxygen, on the ethanol conversion and hydrogen yield, were studied. The results showed that the increase of ethanol flow rate decreased ethanol conversion and hydrogen yield, and high water/ethanol ratio and addition of oxygen were advantageous. Ethanol conversion and hydrogen yield increased with the vaporization room temperature up to the maximum at first, and then decreased slightly. The maximum hydrogen yield of 31.8% was obtained at an ethanol conversion of 88.4% under the optimum operation conditions of vaporization room temperature of 120 ?C, ethanol flux of 0.18 mL/min, water/ethanol ratio of 7.7 and oxygen volume concentration of 13.3%.     

Preparation,characterization and photocatalytic properties of BiOBr/ZnO composites

BiOBr/ZnO composite photocatalysts were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), UV–Vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy(DRS) and photoluminescence(PL) spectroscopy, respectively. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the degradation of methyl blue(MB) under the simulated sunlight irradiation. Among all the samples, the BiOBr/ZnO composite with a mole ratio of 3:1(Bi:Zn) exhibited the best photocatalytic activity. The improvement of photocatalytic activity was mainly attributed to the low recombination ratio of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. The possible photocatalytic mechanism was discussed on the basis of the band structures of BiOBr and ZnO.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis of PEG-capped ZnS：Mn2＋ Quantum Dots Nanocomposites

Water-soluble Mn2＋-doped ZnS nanocrystals surface capped with polyethylene glycol（expressed as PEG-ZnS：Mn2＋） were synthesized in aqueous solution with PEG as surface modifier without ligand exchange.The particles were obtained via chemical precipitation method at 100 ℃ with an average diameter of 3 nm and a zinc blende structure.The PEG modified on the surface of PEG-ZnS：Mn2＋ nanocrystals rendered the nanocrystals water soluble and biocompatible.And the PEG-ZnS：Mn2＋ nanocrystals have the potential application in molecular assembly and biological fluorescence analysis.The effects of the Mn2＋ concentration,stabilizer concentration,and synthesis time on the photoluminescence（PL） intensity of ZnS：Mn2＋ QDs were also investigated.     

Controllable Synthesis of Titania Nanocrystals with Different Morphologies and Application to the Degradation of Phenol

Titania nanocrystals with different morphologies were prepared using the hydrothermal method via controlling the pH values of solution, the ratio of reactants, temperature, and time of the hydrothermal reaction. The experimental results showed that uniform rod-like titania particles with an average aspect ratio of 6：1 could be obtained under the conditions of pH=11, n（TBOT）：n（TEA）=1：2, hydrothermal treatment at 150 °C for 24 h. When pH〈10, spherical titania nanocrystals could be obtained; with increasing the pH value, the diameter became smaller. Finally, the smallest size of the particles could reach 7 nm. Nanocrystals with uniformly well-dispersed and perfect crystallographic form were obtained via the above method. Phenol was used as the degradation model for testing the photocatalytical activity of the titania nanocrystals with different morphologies.     

Effects of Ag Doping Content and Dispersion on the Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Properties in ZnO Nanoparticles

ZnO nanoparticles(NPs)with different contents of Ag dopants were obtained by one-step solvothermal method.The crystalline structures of the prepared composites were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD).The morphology and composition of the samples were studied by means of scanning transmission electron microscopy(TEM)5 X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and electron microscopy(SEM).Photoluminescence(PL)spectra have been used to investigate pure ZnO,Ag-ZnO and Ag-ZnO-PVP NPs to determine the effect of composition on PL properties.It was found that the Ag-ZnO samples showed stronger emissions than pure ZnO.The catalytic activity of samples was measured by the degradation rate of R6G,which exhibited that Ag-ZnO nanocomposite demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to the pure ZnO NPs.The possible influence factors to the photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of the sample were explored,including Ag contents and dispersion.It was presented that the photocatalytic activity of Ag-ZnO-PVP was better than that of Ag-ZnO and it showed the highest photocatalytic activity with 7%of Ag content.The Ag-ZnO-PVP can kill the Escherichia coli(E.coli)cells.     

Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic application of H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composite photocatalyst

A series of H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composite with different H3PW12O40 loadings were prepared using a hydrothermal and impregnation method. The prepared composites were characterized by XRD, Raman, SEM, XPS, and DRS techniques. The bandgap of the composite was narrower compared with the as-prepared pure BiVO4 . As a novel photocatalytic material, the photocatalytic performance of the H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composite was investigated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye solution under visible light irradiation and compared with that of pure BiVO4 . The results revealed that the introduction of H3PW12O40 could improve the photocatalytic performance and different concentrations of H3PW12O40 resulted in different photocatalytic activities. The highest activity was obtained by the sample with a loading HPW concentration of 10 wt%. The reason for the enhanced photocatalytic activities of H3PW12O40/BiVO4 samples was also discussed in this paper. Moreover, the H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composites retained the catalytic activity after four repeated experiments.     

Rapid Synthesis and Photoluminescence Properties of Eu-doped ZnO Nanoneedles via Facile Hydrothermal Method

Eu-doped ZnO nanoneedles with different doping concentrations were prepared via the facile hydrothermal method.The crystal structure,morphology and photoluminescence property of the ZnO nanoneedles were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）,photoluminescence spectroscopy（PL） and Raman spectroscopy.The results show that the europium ions are incorporated into the crystal lattice of ZnO matrix in trivalent ions.The nanoneedles are 2-3 μm in length and 100 nm in the tip diameter.PL and Raman measurements indicate that higher Eu^3＋ doping concentration may destroy the crystallization of the nanoneedles and decrease the ratio of IUV/IDLE,which is mainly due to the more defects in the doped ZnO nanoneedles.And the characteristic red emissions of Eu^3＋ ions are found by the PL spectroscopy with the Eu^3＋doping concentration increasing,which are attributed to the ^5D0→^7F0,^5D0→^7F1 and ^5D0→^7F2 transitions.     

A Simple Method for the Preparation of ZnO Prickly Spheres

The synthesis of ZnO prickly spheres using precipitation followed by heating treatment was investigated. Zn(OH)2 precursor was prepared by precipitation process using Zn(CH3COO)2-2H2O in mixed 1-propanol-water solvent. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as the anionic surfactant was added to control the morphology. The size and structure of ZnO prickly spheres were studied using XRD, TEM and SEM. The results showed that the morphologies and size of the spheres strongly depended on the volume ratio of 1-propanol /water and molar ratio of SDS/Zn2+. ZnO prickly spheres composed of nanorods could be obtained, when the volume ratio of 1-propanol/water = 2:3 and the molar ratio of Zn2/SDS= 450:1.     

纳米晶构筑一维多孔氧化锌的合成与表征

One-dimensional porous zinc oxide was prepared via the calcination of zinc oxalate precursor obtained by solvothermal method. The products were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. The results show that the obtained zinc oxide sample is porous and constructed by nanoparticles about 30 nm in size. The specific surface area and total pore volume are 126 m²·g^-1 and 0.13 cm³·g^-1, respectively． The PL properties related with defects in ZnO nanoparticles were discussed for porous zinc oxide samples.     

Luminescence and photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanocrystals: correlation between structure and property

Low-dimensional ZnO nanocrystals with controlled size, aspect ratio, and oxygen defects (e.g., type and concentration) are successfully prepared through simple solvothermal and thermal treatment methods. The structure of the as-synthesized samples is characterized by XRD, N2 physical adsorption, TEM, and IR and XPS spectra. The results show that the aspect ratio and size of the as-synthesized ZnO nanocrystals increase with increasing [OH-]/[Zn2+]; the morphology evolves from nanorod to nanoparticle with an increase in the annealing temperature; the BET surface areas of the corresponding samples decrease during these processes, respectively; and different oxygen defects, which are likely to be oxygen vacancy (Vo**) and interstitial oxygen (Oi'), are formed in our experiments accordingly. With evolution of the structure, IR absorption bands and visible photoluminescence emission peaks of the synthesized ZnO nanocrystals shift and split, which is ascribed to the change of oxygen defects. In addition, it is found that the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized ZnO nanocrystals is mainly dependent on the type and concentration of oxygen defects. The relationship of structure-property and the possible photocatalytic mechanism are discussed in detail.     

Ag/ZnO heterostructure nanocrystals: synthesis, characterization, and photocatalysis

A high yield of the dimer-type heterostructure of Ag/ZnO nanocrystals with different Ag contents is successfully prepared through a simple solvothermal method in the absence of surfactants. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and IR spectroscopy. The results show that all samples are composed of metallic Ag and ZnO; Ag nanoparticles locate on the surface of ZnO nanorods; the binding energy of Ag 3d(5/2) for the Ag/ZnO sample with a Ag content of 5.0 atom % shifts remarkably to the lower binding energy compared with the corresponding value of pure metallic Ag because of the interaction between Ag and ZnO nanocrystals; the concentration of oxygen vacancy for the as-synthesized samples varies with the increasing Ag content, and the Ag/ZnO sample with a Ag content of 5.0 atom % has the largest density of oxygen vacancy. In addition, the relationship between their structure and photocatalytic property is investigated in detail. It is found that the photocatalytic property is closely related to its structure, such as heterostructure, oxygen defect, and crystallinity. The presence of metallic Ag nanoparticles and oxygen vacancy on the surface of ZnO nanorods promotes the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and thus enhances the photocatalytic activity.     

A simple solvothermal route towards the morphological control of ZnO and tuning of its optical and photocatalytic properties

ZnO nanoparticles with different morphologies were solvothermally synthesized by controlling the alkali (sodium hydroxide) concentration in an isopropanol solution. The products were characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction, UV-visible absorption spectra, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electron diffraction. The morphologies of the formed ZnO nanocrystals were dependent on the concentration of the alkali, and with increases of sodium hydroxide concentration, the ZnO nanocrystals evolved from rod to hexagonal bipyramid, and then to a flower-like nanostructure. The flower-like nanostructure resulted from the etching of the hexagonal bipyramid by the excess alkali. The photoluminescence and photocatalytic properties of the prepared ZnO were investigated. The difference of green emission among the ZnO nanocrystals indicated that a higher sodium hydroxide concentration led to a higher level of defects. The size, the surface structure and defects in the ZnO nanocrystals affected its photo-degradation characteristics.     

Tuning the relative concentration ratio of bulk defects to surface defects in TiO2 nanocrystals leads to high photocatalytic efficiency

TiO(2) nanocrystals with tunable bulk/surface defects were synthesized and characterized with TEM, XRD, BET, positron annihilation, and photocurrent measurements. The effect of defects on photocatalytic activity was studied. It was found for the first time that decreasing the relative concentration ratio of bulk defects to surface defects in TiO(2) nanocrystals could significantly improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes, thus significantly enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency.     

形貌可控ZnO微纳米结构的水热合成及光催化性能

以乙醇胺为辅助溶剂,采用水热合成法,制备了花状、梭状和剑状的ZnO微纳米结构。采用扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、光致发光光谱(PL)和拉曼光谱等测试手段对样品的形貌、结构、晶相等进行了表征。结果表明所有样品均为六方纤锌矿结构ZnO;其形貌和结晶度可通过改变物质的量的配比nZn2+/nOH-来调控。探讨了反应物配比对产物形貌结构的影响,乙醇胺对不同形貌ZnO的制备起到至关重要作用。以亚甲基蓝为目标降解物,采用紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)并结合低温氮吸附-脱附比表面测试(BET),研究了花状、梭状和剑状ZnO的光催化活性。结果表明,与商用ZnO相比,制备的ZnO具有更好的光催化活性;样品催化活性与其比表面积不成正比,具有最小比表面积的花状ZnO拥有最好的光催化活性,这可能是由于其低的结晶度和特殊的花状形貌所致。     

形貌可控ZnO微纳米结构的水热合成及光催化性能

以乙醇胺为辅助溶剂,采用水热合成法,制备了花状、梭状和剑状的ZnO微纳米结构。采用扫描电镜（SEM）、Ｘ射线衍射（XRD）、光致发光光谱（PL）和拉曼光谱等测试手段对样品的形貌、结构、晶相等进行了表征。结果表明所有样品均为六方纤锌矿结构ZnO;其形貌和结晶度可通过改变物质的量的配比n_Zn²⁺/n_OH^-来调控。探讨了反应物配比对产物形貌结构的影响,乙醇胺对不同形貌ZnO的制备起到至关重要作用。以亚甲基蓝为目标降解物,采用紫外-可见吸收光谱（UV-Vis）并结合低温氮吸附-脱附比表面测试（BET）,研究了花状、梭状和剑状ZnO的光催化活性。结果表明,与商用ZnO相比,制备的ZnO具有更好的光催化活性;样品催化活性与其比表面积不成正比,具有最小比表面积的花状ZnO拥有最好的光催化活性,这可能是由于其低的结晶度和特殊的花状形貌所致。     

Directly assembling ligand-free ZnO nanocrystals into three-dimensional mesoporous structures by oriented attachment

Mesoporous materials have found a great number of important utilities due to their well-defined pore structure and high internal surface area, which are routinely synthesized with the assistance of block copolymers or templates. So far, a key challenge is how to assemble directly ligand-free inorganic nanocrystals into mesoporous structures, so that the high surface activity of ligand-free nanocrystals is not destroyed by further treatment to remove organic species or templates. In this paper, we report the direct assembly of highly uniform ZnO mesoporous ellipsoids from ligand-free ZnO nanocrystals of ～5 nm. The size of the synthesized uniform ZnO mesoporous ellipsoids can be efficiently tuned from 132 × 75 to 190 × 111 nm (length × width), by varying the size and concentration of primary ZnO nanocrystal building blocks and the composition of the designed assembling solvent. The BET detection indicates that these ZnO mesoporous ellipsoids have high specific surface areas reaching to 136.57 m(2)/g, while their average BJH pore diameters are located at 8.8 nm. Especially, the high-resolution TEM images and XRD analysis revealed the occurrence of an oriented attachment mechanism in the assembly of uniform ZnO mesoporous ellipsoids, which supplied an important proof for the possibility of constructing stable three-dimensional structures by oriented attachment. The benefits of these ZnO mesoporous ellipsoids were demonstrated by their excellent photocatalytic activity under weak UV irradiation.     

二氧化钛柱撑蒙脱土的溶剂热合成及光催化活性

以乙醇水溶液为溶剂,以六亚甲基四胺为沉淀剂,以TiCl3为前驱体,通过醇-水溶剂热的方法合成出二氧化钛柱撑蒙脱土复合纳米光催化剂,通过XRD、BET、AAS等对其物相组成、比表面积及元素含量等进行了表征．结果表明,复合光催化剂具有良好的介孔结构,其孔径分布主要集中在6～10nm,且比表面积明显增大．光催化降解亚甲基蓝活性结果表明,当m（TiO2）／m（蒙脱土）=0．2：1时,复合催化剂由于柱化后具有较大的比表面积、孔容和适当的孔分布而表现出良好的光催化活性．     

Influence of different precursors and Mn doping concentrations on the structural,optical properties and photocatalytic activity of single-crystal manganese-doped ZnO

Mn-doped ZnO single-crystal micronuts were synthesized via hydrothermal method in an hexamethylenetetramine aqueous solution. These micronuts are of wurtzite crystal structure. The effects of Mn doping amount and precursor concentration on the structural, optical properties and photocatalytic activity have been investigated. The synthesized Mn-doped ZnO was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV–Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The structural analyses based on X-ray diffraction revealed the absence of Mn-related secondary phases. According to FESEM results, the length of ZnO micronuts was in the range of 5–8 μm. The band gap energy increased on increasing Mn doping concentration. The photocatalytic activity was studied by degradation of methyl orange aqueous solution, which showed that the Mn-doped ZnO micronuts prepared in precursor concentration of 0.1 M and 4% Mn doping had the highest photocatalytic activity. The effects of crystal defect and band gap energy on photocatalytic activity of Mn-doped ZnO samples were studied in different precursors and Mn doping amounts.     

低共熔溶剂辅助水热法合成分层球状微/纳米ZnO晶体及其光催化性能

使用尿素-氯化胆碱低共熔溶剂(UCC-DES),采用水热合成和反溶剂(乙醇)法,以化工材质ZnO粉末为原料制备了分层的球状微/纳米ZnO晶体.分析了反应时间、反溶剂的种类和含量对ZnO晶体形貌的影响以及ZnO晶体析出的原因.并将制备的分层球状ZnO微/纳米晶体应用于光催化降解甲基橙.结果表明,制备的ZnO晶体对甲基橙有良好的光催化降解性能.