A comparison of H+-restacked nanosheets and nano-scrolls derived from K4Nb6O17for visible-light degra-dation of dyes

H＋-restacked nanosheets and nanoscrolls peeled from K4Nb6O17 display different structures and surface characters. The two restacked samples with increased surface areas have an amazing visible-light response for the photodegradation of dyes, which is superior to commercial TiO2 （P25） and Nb205. By comparison, H＋/nanosheets have a relatively faster photodegradation rate originated from large and smooth basal plane. The work reveals that dye adsorbed on the unfolded nanosheets can effectively harvest sunlight. Due to facile preparation, low-cost and high photocatalytic efficiency, H＋/nanosheets and H＋/nanoscrolls might be used for the visible light-driven degradation of organic dyes as a substitute for TiO2 in industry.     

Morphology control of TiO2 through hydrothermal synthesis method using protonic tetratitanate

Fibrous TiO₂ and plate-like TiO₂ were obtained through the hydrothermal synthesis method by using two kinds of protonic tetratitanate (H₂Ti₄O₉), prepared by ion exchange of K₂Ti₄O₉ and HCl, or milled K₂Ti₄O₉ and HCl, respectively. The product made by hydrothermal treatment of H₂Ti₄O₉ without milling in water consisted of anatase TiO₂ and retained the fibrous morphology of the precursor but with fine crystals attached on the surface, formed by the in?situ topotactic transformation reaction and dissolution and recrystallization. On the other hand, TiO₂ prepared with H₂Ti₄O₉ obtained through ion exchange of milled K₂Ti₄O₉ and HCl had plate-like shape, namely retaining the morphology of nanosheets of H₂Ti₄O₉ through an in?situ transformation process. Under ultraviolet irradiation, 70% methyl orange degradation by TiO₂ nanosheets was about 3.3 times higher than that by fibrous TiO₂. The higher surface area, higher pore volume, and smaller particle size led to the higher photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ nanosheets.     

Use of catalase and superoxide dismutase to assess the roles of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide in the TiO2 or ZnO photocatalytic destruction of 1,2-dimethoxybenzene in water

The effects of two antioxidant enzymes on the rate of disappearance, r, of the pollutant 1,2-dimethoxybenzene (1,2-DMB) in UV-irradiated (λ > 340 nm) TiO₂ or ZnO aqueous suspensions have been determined. Catalase, which catalyzes the overall reaction 2H₂O₂ →> 2H₂O + O₂, caused a relatively moderate decrease in r in the case of TiO₂ and no effect in the case of ZnO, showing that hydrogen peroxide formed in situ is not essential for the pollutant removal. The effect of H₂O₂ added to ZnO was negative and in the case of TiO₂ was either favorable or unfavorable depending on the initial ratio [H₂O₂]/[1,2-DMB] as a result of competition between these compounds for the adsorption sites and/or the photoproduced holes, the formation of additional OH^? radicals and the detrimental modification of the TiO₂ surface. Favorable and unfavorable effects of added H₂O₂ were suppressed by catalase. The detrimental effect on r of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which catalyzes the overall reaction 2O₂ ^?? + 2H⁺ →O₂ + H₂O₂, was very important for both TiO₂ and ZnO. It is inferred that it stems from the catalytic action of SOD and not from competitive photocatalytic destruction of 1,2-DMB and SOD or from the formation of H₂O₂. Therefore, these results point to the essential role of the O₂ ^?? radical-anion as an active species in the photocatalytic degradation of the pollutant and this role is tentatively discussed, in particular with respect to the formation of the 1,2-DMB^?+ radical-cation.     

Enhanced photodegradation of 2,4-dinitrophenol by n–p type TiO2/BiOI nanocomposite

Photocatalysis has recently been regarded as one of the most viable technologies for water treatment. Scholars all over the world are focusing on nanocomposites for water treatment for efficient and effective sanitization of bodies of water. Because of their high surface area, high chemical reactivity, excellent mechanical strength, low cost, and nanoscale composite materials have enormous potential to purify water in a various way. In this study, n-type TiO₂ was synthesized and tailored to produce a TiO₂/BiOI n–p nanocatalyst for enhanced photodegradation of 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) under UV-A and solar light respectively. Because of the formation of a heterojunction between BiOI and TiO₂, the photocatalytic activity in TiO₂/BiOI absorbs strongly in both the UV and visible regions and it has a lower recombination rate of the e^-/h⁺ pairs. Furthermore, the generation of OH^?, O₂^?– radicals during the oxidation process is attributed to the photodegradation of 2,4-DNP. The results revealed that the TiO₂/BiOI manifest outperformed BiOI and TiO₂ in terms of photocatalytic function. XRD, BET, HR-SEM-EDX with ECM, HR-TEM, FT-IR, PL, and UV-DRS techniques determined the photocatalyst composition. The HR-SEM images clearly showed that the particles are less than 27 ?nm in size. Thus, nanocomposite materials have played an important role in water purification.     

Ultrathin Niobate Nanosheet Assembly with Au NPs and CdS QDs as a Highly Efficient Photocatalyst

Niobate nanosheets have aroused widespread interest in recent years for their prospects in catalysis. The exploration of 2D niobate catalysis with stable and efficient properties is still the focus in chemistry and materials science. Herein, the successful fabrication of 2D CdS/Au/HNb₃O₈ catalyst is demonstrated which revealed efficient photocatalytic properties in H₂ evolution, oxidative self-coupling of amines to imines, and degradation of dyes. Especially the assembled architecture can give a rate of 5.85 mmol ⋅ g⁻¹ ⋅ h⁻¹ of photocatalytic H₂ evolution, an ∼254-fold enhancement, compared with bare HNb₃O₈ nanosheets under identical conditions. In accordance with density functional theory (DFT) and X-ray adsorption fine structure (XAFS) analyses, the vast improvements are benefited from efficient migration and separation of charge carriers. Besides, the surface plasma resonance (SPR) effect of Au NPs enhances the light harvesting capacity and boosts the generation of hot electrons, efficiently improving the visible-light absorption.     

Prolonging charge-separation states by doping lanthanide-ions into {001}/{101} facets-coexposed TiO2 nanosheets for enhancing photocatalytic H2 evolution

Ultrathin TiO₂ nanosheets with coexposed {001}/{101} facets have attracted considerable attention because of their high photocatalytic activity. However, the charge-separated states in the TiO₂ nanosheets must be extended to further enhance their photocatalytic activity for H₂ evolution. Herein, we present a successful attempt to selectively dope lanthanide ions into the {101} facets of ultrathin TiO₂ nanosheets with coexposed {001}/{101} facets through a facile one-step solvothermal method. The lanthanide doping slightly extended the light-harvesting region and markedly improved the charge-separated states of the TiO₂ nanosheets as evidenced by UV-vis absorption and steady-state/transient photoluminescence spectra. Upon simulated sunlight irradiation, we observed a 4.2-fold enhancement in the photocatalytic H₂ evolution activity of optimal Yb³⁺-doped TiO₂ nanosheets compared to that of their undoped counterparts. Furthermore, when Pt nanoparticles were used as cocatalysts to reduce the H₂ overpotential in this system, the photocatalytic activity enhancement factor increased to 8.5. By combining these results with those of control experiments, we confirmed that the extended charge-separated states play the main role in the enhancement of the photocatalytic H₂ evolution activity of lanthanide-doped TiO₂ nanosheets with coexposed {001}/{101} facets.     

Fabrication of NiCoP decorated TiO2/polypyrrole nanocomposites for the effective photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

Due to the massive discharge of antibiotics in water, it is an urgent matter to remove antibiotics from waste water. The photocatalysts with high stability and activity have attracted extensive attention from researchers. By an in-situ polymerization method, polypyrrole（PPy） was modified on the surface of TiO₂（named as TiO₂/PPy）. By one-step reduction method, Ni Co P was grafted on the surface of TiO₂/PPy（named as TiO₂/PPy/NiCoP） to synthesize the phot...     

Synthesis,characterization and photocatalytic application of TiO2/magnetic graphene for efficient photodegradation of crystal violet

A magnetized nano‐photocatalyst based on TiO₂/magnetic graphene was developed for efficient photodegradation of crystal violet (CV). Scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and elemental mapping were used to characterize the prepared magnetic nano‐photocatalyst. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized magnetic nano‐photocatalyst was evaluated using the decomposition of CV as a model organic pollutant under UV light irradiation. The obtained results showed that TiO₂/magnetic graphene exhibited much higher photocatalytic performance than bare TiO₂. Incorporation of graphene enhanced the activity of the prepared magnetic nano‐photocatalyst. TiO₂/magnetic graphene can be easily separated from an aqueous solution by applying an external magnetic field. Effects of pH, magnetized nano‐photocatalyst dosage, UV light irradiation time, H₂O₂ amount and initial concentration of dye on the photodegradation efficiency were evaluated and optimized. Efficient photodegradation (>98%) of the selected dye under optimized conditions using the synthesized nano‐photocatalyst under UV light irradiation was achieved in 25 min. The prepared magnetic nano‐photocatalyst can be used in a wide pH range (4–10) for degradation of CV. The effects of scavengers, namely methanol (OH^? scavenger), p‐benzoquinone (O₂^?? scavenger) and disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (hole scavenger), on CV photodegradation were investigated.     

Polymer immobilized Fe(III) complex of 2-phenylbenzimidazole: An efficient catalyst for photodegradation of dyes under UV/Visible light irradiation

Fe(III) complex of 2-phenylbenzimidazole has been covalently anchored on polymer and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, far-IR, BET surface area measurements, UV–Vis/DRS spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis and magnetic moment measurements by VSM which confirmed an octahedral environment around Fe(III) in the bound complex. The photocatalytic performance of this complex was evaluated in the photodegradation of dyes in presence of H₂O₂ as an oxidizing agent. Suitable reaction conditions have been optimized by considering the effects of various reaction parameters such as pH, oxidants, concentration of dye, H₂O₂ and catalyst for the maximum degradation of dye. The photodegradation was found to be 100% with complete mineralization in 150?min. The comparison of photocatalytic efficiency of the catalyst under visible light, sunlight and dark conditions are accomplished. Comparison between catalytic activity of the polymer-supported complex and unbound complex demonstrated that the polymer-supported complex was more active. Photocatalytic performance of PS-Fe(III)PBMZL was also compared with commercial TiO₂ (P25). This heterogeneous complex retained its activity up to 8 runs. A tentative mechanism has been proposed.     

Highly Efficient Low‐Temperature Plasma‐Assisted Modification of TiO2 Nanosheets with Exposed {001} Facets for Enhanced Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Activity

Anatase TiO₂ nanosheets with exposed {001} facets have been controllably modified under non‐thermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma with various working gas, including Ar, H₂, and NH₃. The obtained TiO₂ nanosheets possess a unique crystalline core/amorphous shell structure (TiO₂@TiO_2?x), which exhibit the improved visible and near‐infrared light absorption. The types of dopants (oxygen vacancy/surface Ti³⁺/substituted N) in oxygen‐deficient TiO₂ can be tuned by controlling the working gases during plasma discharge. Both surface Ti³⁺ and substituted N were doped into the lattice of TiO₂ through NH₃ plasma discharge, whereas the oxygen vacancy or Ti³⁺ (along with the oxygen vacancy) was obtained after Ar or H₂ plasma treatment. The TiO₂@TiO_2?x from NH₃ plasma with a green color shows the highest photocatalytic activity under visible‐light irradiation compared with the products from Ar plasma or H₂ plasma due to the synergistic effect of reduction and simultaneous nitridation in the NH₃ plasma.     

Synthesis of Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40/TiO2 Nanocomposites with Dominant TiO2 {001} Facets and Related Photocatalytic Properties

TiO₂ nanosheets with dominant {001} facets, coupled with Cs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀, were successfully synthesized by a one‐step hydrothermal reaction. The photocatalytic activity of nanocatalysts was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B under UV light irradiation. The results showed that both the addition of Cs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀ and the exposed {001} facets of TiO₂ have a positive effect on the photocatalytic activity. The improved photoactivity of nanocomposites in comparison with that of TiO₂ nanosheets could be attributed to the synergistic effect between Cs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀ and TiO₂ which facilitates the separation of photo‐induced hole‐electron pairs.     

Accelerating photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant degradation by coupling organic co-catalysts with TiO2

Accelerating the separation efficiency of photoexcited electron-hole pairs with the help of highly active co-catalysts has proven to be a promising approach for improving photocatalytic activity. Thus far, the most developed co-catalysts for semiconductor-based photocatalysis are inorganic materials; the employment of a specific organic molecule as a co-catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant photodegradation is rare and still remains a challenging task. Herein, we report on the use of an organic molecule, oxamide (OA), as a novel co-catalyst to enhance electron-hole separation, photocatalytic H₂ evolution, and dye degradation over TiO₂ nanosheets. OA-modified TiO₂ samples were prepared by a wet chemical route and demonstrated improved light absorption in the visible-light region and more efficient charge transport. The photocatalytic performance of H₂ evolution from water splitting and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation for an optimal OA-modified TiO₂ photocatalyst reached 2.37 mmol g^-1 h^-1 and 1.43 × 10^?2 min^?1, respectively, which were 2.4 and 3.8 times higher than those of pristine TiO₂, respectively. A possible mechanism is proposed, in which the specific π-conjugated structure of OA is suggested to play a key role in the enhancement of the charge transfer and catalytic capability of TiO₂. This work may provide advanced insight into the development of a variety of metal-free organic molecules as functional co-catalysts for improved solar-to-fuel conversion and environmental remediation.     

纳米TiO2光催化萘转化为α-萘酚

研究了共溶剂、电子受体和表面改性等因素对TiO2光催化萘直接合成α-萘酚反应的影响.纳米TiO2催化剂在紫外光照射下产生·OH,使得萘羟基化得到α-萘酚.在TiO2体系中加入Fe3+,Fe2+,Fe3++H2O2和Fe2++H2O2时,均可有效提高萘转化率和α-萘酚收率,其中以体系中加入Fe3++H2O2时,α-萘酚收...     

A Designed TiO2/Carbon Nanocomposite as a High‐Efficiency Lithium‐Ion Battery Anode and Photocatalyst

Herein, a peapod‐like TiO₂/carbon nanocomposite has successfully been synthesized by a rational method for the first time. The novel nanostructure exhibits a distinct feature of TiO₂ nanoparticles encapsulated inside and the carbon fiber coating outside. In the synthetic process, H₂Ti₃O₇ nanotubes serve as precursors and templates, and glucose molecules act as the green carbon source. With the alliciency of hydrogen bonding between H₂Ti₃O₇ and glucose, a thin polymer layer is hydrothermally assembled and subsequently converted into carbon fibers through calcinations under an inert atmosphere. Meanwhile, the precursors of H₂Ti₃O₇ nanotubes are transformed into the TiO₂ nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon fibers. The achieved unique nanocomposites can be used as excellent anode materials in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) and photocatalytic reagents in the degradation of rhodamine B. Due to the synergistic effect derived from TiO₂ nanoparticles and carbon fibers, the obtained peapod‐like TiO₂/carbon cannot only deliver a high specific capacity of 160 mAh g^?1 over 500 cycles in LIBs, but also perform a much faster photodegradation rate than bare TiO₂ and P25. Furthermore, owing to the low cost, environmental friendliness as well as abundant source, this novel TiO₂/carbon nanocomposite will have a great potential to be extended to other application fields, such as specific catalysis, gas sensing, and photovoltaics.     

Enhanced visible photocatalytic degradation of diclofen over N-doped TiO2 assisted with H2O2: A kinetic and pathway study

Increasing discharge and inadequate removal of pharmaceutical compounds pose significant concerns over global aquatic systems and human health. The accomplishment of affordable and safe water requires a stringent elimination of these micropollutants. This study evaluated the performance of Visible/N-doped TiO₂ and Visible/N-doped TiO₂/H₂O₂ processes using a submerged photocatalytic membrane reactor (SMPR) with suspended N-doped TiO₂ to address the removal of diclofenac (DCF). The kinetic and pathway of photodegradation of DCF were of particular interest in this study. The initial DCF concentrations upon the experiments were also examined using a wide range of 5–50 mg/L and 20–100 mg L⁻¹ for Vis/N-doped TiO₂, and Vis/N-doped TiO₂/H₂O₂ process, respectively. The results indicated that higher initial concentration reduces the efficiency of the process, but one with H₂O₂ demonstrated an enhanced performance. The experimental data were found to fit well a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Our findings demonstrated the analogous pathways of DCF for both processes. The Vis/N-doped TiO₂/H₂O₂ process tends to hasten the degradation rate as evidenced by the disappearance of some DCF byproducts at a similar irradiation period as compared to the other. The study provided useful information of the degradation rate and the potential formation of DCF intermediates upon the hybrid photocatalytic systems, therefore being of importance for scaling-up as well as evaluating potential detoxification of DCF upon the novel photocatalytic system.     

Preparation and characterization of titania/tetratitanate nanocomposites

Nanocomposite titania/tetratitanate particles were prepared by utilizing the electrostatic interaction of the colloidal tetratitanate nanosheets and TiO₂ powders through dispersing TiO₂ into tetratitanate solution at pH4. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, chemical analysis, and photocatalytic activity measurement. The crystallites of Ti₄O₉^2? in the form of tetratitanate nanosheets have lateral size around 100 nm. The visible light responsive photocatalytic activity of rutile nanoparticles could be improved by forming nanocomposite with layered tetratitanate. The high specific surface area of this kind of composite and a certain amount of mesopores in nanocomposite powder could be responsible for better performance in the NO elimination.     

水滑石与海泡石复合材料对有机染料的光催化降解性能（英文）

由于ZnCr-LDH纳米粒子具有良好的光催化性能,但极易团聚,在一定程度上制约了它在光催化领域的应用.将水滑石制成核-壳复合材料可以避免粒子团聚,改善其单分散性和稳定性,从而提高光催化活性.本文设计了一种水滑石/海泡石(Sep@LDH)纳米复合材料作为光催化剂,以甲基橙(MO)和亚甲基蓝(MB)混合溶液模拟有机染料废水,进行光催化反应.通过XRD,SEM,UV-Vis DRS,PL,TG-DTG和BET/BJH,证明了水滑石成功的生长在海泡石的表面,通过光催化实验详细研究了Sep@LDH纳米复合材料的光催化性能及光降解反应机理.采用共沉淀制备了不同Zn/Cr摩尔比的水滑石纳米材料,对水滑石进行优化,结合表征分析,发现摩尔比为1的ZnCr-LDH其结晶度、层间规整度高,禁带宽度最窄(2.30 eV)和光致发光性能最佳.因而用作后续复合材料的制备.另一方面,我们以酸活化的海泡石(Sep)为载体,采用原位生长法成功制备了一种新型的水滑石/海泡石(Sep@LDH)光催化剂,研究了海泡石的添加量对复合材料性能的影响.结果表明,Sep含量对复合材料形貌、粒径大小、结构以及光学性质影响较大.其中,样品Sep_4@LDH(海泡石添加量为4 g),比表面积最大,因而光催化效率最高.降解动力学结果表明,染料的光降解过程遵循准一级动力学模型.我们通过对活性物种(·OH,h~+,·O_2~-)的考察,研究了光催化降解机理.结果表明,·OH在光降解过程中起着至关重要的作用.Sep_4@LDH复合材料循环使用5次后,MO和MB的光降解率依然分别可以达到86.2%和84.9%,表现出较高的稳定性.     

熔融盐法制备富氧空位TiO2纳米片及其光催化性能

氧空位缺陷对半导体材料性能的积极作用引起人们越来越多的关注。本文中,以TiCl4在三氟乙酸中的水解产物为前驱体,通过一步熔融盐法成功合成了具有富氧空位的蓝色TiO2纳米片。由于熔融盐低的氧分压,使前驱体在煅烧过程中消耗了TiO2中的晶格氧从而产生大量的氧空位和Ti3+。紫外-可见漫反射光谱测试表明,蓝色TiO2纳米片的带隙宽度减小至2.69eV,光吸收范围从紫外光区拓宽到可见光区。所制备的蓝色TiO2纳米片表现出优异的光催化活性,在全光谱照射下,对若丹明B的光降解速率是纯TiO2的47.3倍。同时,形成的晶格氟掺杂能有效地稳定氧空位,极大地提高了光生载流子的分离效率。本工作为在半导体氧化物材料内构建氧空位提供了新的思路。     

Fast electron transfer and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity by using poly-o-phenylenediamine modified AgCl/g-C3N4 nanosheets

Exfoliation of bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) into two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets is one of the effective strategies to improve its photocatalytic properties so that the 2D g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (CN) have larger specific surface areas and more reaction sites. In addition, poly-o-phenylenediamine (PoPD) can improve the electrical conductivity and photocatalytic activity of semiconductor materials. Here, the novel efficient composite PoPD/AgCl/g-C₃N₄ nanosheets was first synthesized by a precipitation reaction and the photoinitiated polymerization approach. The obtained photocatalysts have larger specific surface areas and could achieve better visible-light response. However, silver chloride (AgCl) is susceptible to agglomeration and photocorrosion. The PoPD/AgCl/CN composite exhibits an extremely high photocurrent density, which is three times that of CN. Obviously enhanced photocatalytic activities of PoPD/AgCl/g-C₃N₄ are revealed through the photodegradation of tetracycline. The stability of PoPD/AgCl/CN is demonstrated based on four cycles of experiments that reveal that the degradation rate only decreases slightly. Furthermore, ?O₂^? and h⁺ are the main active species, which are confirmed through a trapping experiment and ESR spin-trap technique. Therefore, the prepared PoPD/AgCl/CN can be considered as a stable photocatalyst, in which PoPD is added as a charge carrier and acts a photosensitive protective layer on the surface of the AgCl particles. This provides a new technology for preparing highly stable composite photocatalysts that can effectively deal with environmental issues.     

TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotube arrays: a study on the surface electrochemical reactions during the photoelectrochemical process

The surface electrochemical reactions of TiO₂ nanotube arrays (NTAs) corresponding to different active species of TiO₂ NTAs (·OH, h⁺, and ·O₂ ^?) play key roles during the photoelectrochemical process. Effect of the active species and surface electrochemical reactions are studied by adding capture agents of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) for ·OH, ammonium oxalate ((NH₄)₂C₂O₂) for h⁺, and benzoquinone (BQ) for ·O₂ ^? radicals. The changes of photocurrent with addition of capture agents confirm the existence of ·OH, h⁺, and ·O₂ ^? during photoelectrochemical process. IPA and (NH₄)₂C₂O₂ additions are found to enhance the photocurrent by accelerating the consumption velocity of h⁺ indirectly and directly and restricting the chargers recombination. BQ can decrease the photocurrent stepwise to 0 due to the indirect consumption of e^? on surface of TiO₂ NTAs. The consumption of h⁺ by forming ·OH is 38% that of the whole consumption of h⁺. The ratio of chargers recombination is higher than 80.8% that of the whole photogenerated chargers.