Facile fabrication and characterization of hierarchically porous calcium carbonate microspheres

Higher-order porous calcite microspheres exhibiting high specific surface areas, unusual morphologies and textures were fabricated by a simple precipitation reaction of CaCO3 in the presence of PSMA as a crystal modifier.     

Insights into the structure–photoreactivity relationships in well-defined perovskite ferroelectric KNbO3 nanowires

Structure–function correlations are a central theme in heterogeneous (photo)catalysis. In this study, the geometric and electronic structure of perovskite ferroelectric KNbO₃ nanowires with respective orthorhombic and monoclinic polymorphs have been systematically addressed. By virtue of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we directly visualize surface photocatalytic active sites, measure local atomic displacements at an accuracy of several picometers, and quantify ferroelectric polarization combined with first-principles calculations. The photoreactivity of the as-prepared KNbO₃ nanowires is assessed toward aqueous rhodamine B degradation under UV light. A synergy between the ferroelectric polarization and electronic structure in photoreactivity enhancement is uncovered, which accounts for the prominent reactivity order: orthorhombic > monoclinic. Additionally, by identifying new photocatalytic products, rhodamine B degradation pathways involving N-deethylation and conjugated structure cleavage are proposed. Our findings not only provide new insights into the structure–photoreactivity relationships in perovskite ferroelectric photocatalysts, but also have broad implications in perovskite-based water splitting and photovoltaics, among others.     

Quantitative characterization of hydroxyl radicals produced by various photocatalysts

Hydroxyl radicals ((·)OH) have been deemed to be the major active species during the photocatalytic oxidation reaction. In this study, (·)OH produced on various semiconductor photocatalysts in aqueous solution under Xenon lamp irradiation was quantitatively investigated by the photoluminescence (PL) technique using coumarin (COU) as a probe molecule. The results indicated that the formation rate of (·)OH on the surface of irradiated commercial Degussa P25 (P25) was much higher than that of other semiconductor. The pH values of the solution and phase structure of TiO(2) significantly influenced the production rate of (·)OH. The acidic pH environment of the solutions and bi-phase structure (anatase and rutile) of TiO(2) were beneficial to enhancing the formation rate of (·)OH. In addition, the formation rate of (·)OH on anatase TiO(2) and P25 was much faster than that of (·)OH on the other semiconductors (such as rutile TiO(2), ZnO, WO(3), CdS, Bi(2)WO(4) and BiOCl, etc.). A new concept "OH-index" was first proposed to compare photocatalytic activity of photocatalysts, which would provide new insight into the investigation of semiconductor photocatalysts.     

Tunable photocatalytic selectivity of TiO2 films consisted of flower-like microspheres with exposed {001} facets

TiO(2) films composed of flower-like TiO(2) microspheres with exposed {001} facets were synthesized by a simple one-pot hydrothermal method and exhibited tunable photocatalytic selectivity towards decomposition of azo dyes in water by modifying the surface of TiO(2) microspheres as well as by varying the degree of etching of {001} facets.     

Enhancement of ethanol electrooxidation on plasmonic Au/TiO2 nanotube arrays

Novel electrocatalysts Au/TiO₂ nanotube arrays (Au/TiO₂NTs) were prepared by loading low-content(1.9 at.%) of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto highly ordered TiO₂ nanotube arrays (TiO₂NTs). Ethanol electrooxidation indicates that visible-light (λ > 400 nm) irradiation can significantly enhance the activity as well as resistpoisoning of Au/TiO₂NTs electrocatalysts that are activated by plasmon resonance. Au/TiO₂NTs catalysts calcinated at 300 °C display the highest performance due to the strong synergistic interactions between TiO₂ and Au NPs. The combination of visible-light irradiation with a controllable potential offers a new strategyfor enhancing the performance of anodes in direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC).     

Preparation and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic H2-production activity of CdS-sensitized Pt/TiO2 nanosheets with exposed (001) facets

CdS-sensitized Pt/TiO(2) nanosheets with exposed (001) facets were prepared by hydrothermal treatment of a Ti(OC(4)H(9))(4)-HF-H(2)O mixed solution followed by photochemical reduction deposition of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on TiO(2) nanosheets (TiO(2) NSs) and chemical bath deposition of CdS NPs on Pt/TiO(2) NSs, successively. The UV and visible-light driven photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was evaluated by photocatalytic H(2) production from lactic acid aqueous solution under UV and visible-light (λ ≥ 420 nm) irradiation. It was shown that no photocatalytic H(2)-production activity was observed on the pure TiO(2) NSs under UV and/or visible-light irradiation. Deposition of CdS NPs on Pt/TiO(2) NSs caused significant enhancement of the UV and visible-light photocatalytic H(2)-production rates. The morphology of TiO(2) particles had also significant influence on the visible-light H(2)-production activity. Among TiO(2) NSs, P25 and the NPs studied, the CdS-sensitized Pt/TiO(2) NSs show the highest photocatalytic activity (13.9% apparent quantum efficiency obtained at 420 nm), exceeding that of CdS-sensitized Pt/P25 by 10.3% and that of Pt/NPs by 1.21%, which can be attributed to the combined effect of several factors including the presence of exposed (001) facets, surface fluorination and high specific surface area. After many replication experiments of the photocatalytic hydrogen production in the presence of lactic acid, the CdS-sensitized Pt/TiO(2) NSs did not show great loss in the photocatalytic activity, confirming that the CdS/Pt/TiO(2) NSs system is stable and not photocorroded.     

Adsorption of N719 Dye on Anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles and Nanosheets with Exposed (001) Facets: Equilibrium,Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Studies

Anatase TiO₂ nanosheets (TiO₂ NS) with dominant (001) facets and TiO₂ nanoparticles (TiO₂ NP) with dominant (101) facets are fabricated by hydrothermal hydrolysis of Ti(OC₄H₉)₄ in the presence and absence of hydrogen fluoride (HF), respectively. Adsorption of N719 onto the as‐prepared samples from ethanol solutions is investigated and discussed. The adsorption kinetic data are modeled using the pseudo‐first‐order, pseudo‐second‐order, and intraparticle diffusion kinetics equations, and indicate that the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic equation and intraparticle diffusion model can better describe the adsorption kinetics. Furthermore, adsorption equilibrium data of N719 on the as‐prepared samples are analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich models; this suggests that the Langmuir model provides a better correlation of the experimental data. The adsorption capacities (q_max) of N719 on TiO₂ NS at various temperatures, determined using the Langmuir equation, are 65.2 (30 °C), 68.2 (40 °C), and 76.6 (50 °C) mg g⁻¹, which are smaller than those on TiO₂ NP, 92.4 (30 °C), 100.0 (40 °C), and 108.2 (50 °C) mg g⁻¹, respectively. The larger adsorption capacities of N719 for TiO₂ NP versus NS are attributed to its higher specific surface areas. However, the specific adsorption capacities (q_max/S_BET) at various temperatures are 1.5 (30 °C), 1.6 (40 °C), and 1.7 (50 °C) mg m⁻² for TiO₂ NS, which are otherwise higher than those for NP, 0.9 (30 °C), 1.0 (40 °C), and 1.1 (50 °C) mg m⁻², respectively. The larger specific adsorption capacities of N719 for TiO₂ NS versus NP are because the (001) surface is more reactive for dissociative adsorption of reactant molecules compared with (101) facets. Notably, the q_max and q_max/S_BET for both TiO₂ samples increase with increasing temperature, suggesting that adsorption of N719 on the TiO₂ surface is an endothermic process, which is further confirmed by the calculated thermodynamic parameters including free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of adsorption process. The present work will provide a new understanding on the adsorption process and mechanism of N719 molecules onto TiO₂ NS and NP, and this should be of great importance for enhancing the performance of dye‐sensitized solar cells.     

Organic Semiconducting Pro‐nanostimulants for Near‐Infrared Photoactivatable Cancer Immunotherapy

In this study, an organic semiconducting pro‐nanostimulant (OSPS) with a near‐infrared (NIR) photoactivatable immunotherapeutic action for synergetic cancer therapy is presented. OSPS comprises a semiconducting polymer nanoparticle (SPN) core and an immunostimulant conjugated through a singlet oxygen (¹O₂) cleavable linkers. Upon NIR laser irradiation, OSPS generates both heat and ¹O₂ to exert combinational phototherapy not only to ablate tumors but also to produce tumor‐associated antigens. More importantly, NIR irradiation triggers the cleavage of ¹O₂‐cleavable linkers, triggering the remote release of the immunostimulants from OSPS to modulate the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Thus, the released tumor‐associated antigens in conjunction with activated immunostimulants induce a synergistic antitumor immune response after OSPS‐mediated phototherapy, resulting in the inhibited growth of both primary/distant tumors and lung metastasis in a mouse xenograft model, which is not observed for sole phototherapy.