Photoinduced Electron Transfer between CdS and CdTe Nanoparticles in Colloidal Solutions

The photochemical behavior of solutions containing a mixture of CdS and CdTe nanoparticles under pulsed irradiation conditions was investigated. It was shown that electron transfer from the CdS particles to the CdTe nanoparticles occurs during the photoexcitation of such systems. The effectiveness of the process is increased with increase in the size of the CdTe nanoparticles. Such behavior is due to decrease in the potential of the CdTe conduction band with increase in the size of the nanoparticles as a result of the appearance of quantum-dimensional effects.     

Catalysis by titanium (IV) ions of reactions forming chlorohydrins from olefins

A study was made of reactions forming chlorohydrins from cyclohexane and other olefins acted upon by H₂O₂ and HCl or H₂O₂ and TiCl₄ in alcoholic solutions. The catalyzing action of titanium (1V) was established, and possible reaction mechanisms are discussed.L. V. Pisarzhevskii Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 31 Prosp. Nauki, 252039, Kiev, Ukraine. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 32, No. 5, pp. 295—299, September–October, 1996. Original article submitted February 9, 1996.     

Electronic and ESR spectroscopic study of thiocyanate-containing coordination compounds of titanium(III) in alcohol solutions

In an investigation of electronic and ESR spectra, it has been established that titanium(III) with the thiocyanate ion (in ethanol) forms distorted tetrahedral and octahedral complexes. The tetrahedral compounds, which are hydroxo complexes of titanium(III) that contain one hydroxyl group and three thiocyanate ions in the coordination sphere, give signals in the ESR spectra with g_o=1.960, A_o=15.0·10^–4 cm^–1 g=1.958, A ^Ti =26.4·10^–4cm^–1, g= 1.691, A^Ti=9.0·10^–4 cm^–1. In the ESR spectra of liquid solutions, additional splitting on the nitrogen atoms is manifested(A _o ^N =2.2·10^–4 cm^–1), which indicates bonding of thiocyanate ions through the nitrogen atom. The pseudo-octahedral complexes of titanium(III), containing from two to six thiocyanate ions in the coordination sphere, are characterized by d-d absorption bands in the 520–590 nm region; and at 77°K, they give anisotropic ESR signals. On the basis of the temperature dependences of the equilibrium constants for the reaction of conversion of the tetrahedral complexes to the octahedral complexes, and also the lifetimes of the tetrahedral complexes, values have been estimated for the heat of reaction (H=26.8 kJ/mole) and the entropy change (S=–1.66 kJ/mole·°K) of the equilibrium process, and also the activation energy for the reaction of titanium(III) thiocyanate formation (E=37 kJ/mole).Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 21, No. 5, pp. 560–567, September–October, 1985.     

Influence of added water on pathways and efficiency of photocatalytic reactions in ethanol solutions of titanium tetrachloride

Electronic spectroscopy, ESR, and gas-liquid chromatography have been used in studying the action of light with =254 nm on ethanol-water solutions of titanium tetrachloride. It has been established that, in the course of irradiation, a photocatalytic process develops with the participation of coordination compounds of titanium(IV) and (III), resulting in oxidation and breakdown of the ethanol to form acetaldehyde, methane, ethane, ethyl chloride, and molecular hydrogen. In the presence of small amounts of added water (up to 0.5 M), the efficiency of CH₄ and C₂H₇ formation is much lower but the yield of H₂ is higher, in comparison with the yields of these products in absolute ethanol. With further increases in the water concentration, the rates of formation of methane, ethane, and acetaldehyde increase. The maximum quantum yields () are as follows: (CH₄)=1.8 · 10^–4 and (C₂H₆)=1 · 10^–3 in absolute ethanol; (CH₃CHO)= 1.6·10^–2 in ethanol with the addition of 6.0 M H₂O; (H₂)=6.7·10^–3 in solutions containing 0.5 M H₂O. The observed differences in the product yields are explained by a change in the composition and structure of the titanium compounds that act as the photocatalyst, a change that takes place when the water concentration is varied. A mechanism is proposed for these reactions.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimentai'naya Khimiya, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 51–58, January–February, 1986.     

Quantum Size Effects in the Photonics of Semiconductor Nanoparticles

The appearance of quantum size effects in ultradisperse semiconductors, their quantitative analysis, and their effect on the absorption of light and on the photophysical (vibrational relaxation of photogenerated “hot” charge carriers, band-band and “defect” luminescence) and certain primary photochemical processes (the accumulation of excess negative charge by the semiconductor nanoparticles, interphase electron transfer, etc.) are discussed.__________Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Eksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 67–87, March–April, 2005.     

Photocatalytic liberation of hydrogen from C1-C4 alcohols with the participation of titanium complexes

It was established that in UV irradiation of solutions of TiCl₄ in methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and butanol, alcohol-chloride complexes of titanium(III) are formed. The quantum yields of the formation of coordination compounds of titanium(III) depend on the nature of the alcohol: 0.08 (methanol); 0.13 (ethanol); 0.20 (butanol); 0.22 (isopropanol). As complexes of titanium(III) accumulate in solution, there is a liberation of molecular hydrogen. The quantum yields of the formation of hydrogen, determined in a steady-state process, are correlated with the values of the C-H bond energy at the -carbon atom of the alcohol and are equal to 2·10^–3, 3.4·10^–3, 4.3·10^–3 and 1·10^–2 for solutions in methanol, butanol, ethanol, and isopropanol, respectively. A substantial increase in the quantum yield of the formation of molecular hydrogen was detected when a heterogeneous catalyst (palladium on silica gel) was used, and the possible mechanism of the process of photocatalytic liberation of hydrogen from alcohols with the participation of titanium complexes is discussed.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 181–186, March–April, 1987.The authors would like to thank V. M. Granchak for his participation in the discussion of the results.     

Coupled photocatalytic reactions for dehalogenation of polychlorinated hydrocarbons and generation of molecular hydrogen

The quantum yields of photocatalytic generation of hydrogen ( ) from alcohol-water mixtures containing a suspension of Pd/CdS (or CdS and Pd/SiO₂) increase in the presence of CCl₄ or C₆Cl₆ additives, which undergo dehalogenation. The reasons for the increase in are the increase in acidity during the process, and also suppression of electron-hole recombination as a result of acceptance of electrons from the conduction band by the halogenated hydrocarbons, which leads to generation of additional amounts of ethoxy radicals taking part in reduction of water. L. V. Pisarzhevskii Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 31 Prospekt Nauki, Kiev 252039, Ukraine. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 162–166, May–June, 1999.     

Role of quantum-sized effects on the cathodic photocorrosion of ZnO nanoparticles in ethanol

Cathodic photocorrosion occurs upon stationary photoirradiation of ethanolic ZnO sols. The photocorrosion rate increases with decreasing particle size. This effect due to the appearance of quantum-sized effects in ZnO nanocrystals results from an increase in the reduction potential of the semiconductor upon irradiation, which may exceed the Fermi level for cathodic decomposition of zinc oxide nanoparticles.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimentalnaya Khimiya, Vol.40, No.6, pp. 363–367, November–December, 2004.     

Peculiarities of the Behavior of Porous Titanium Dioxide in the Photocatalytic Evolution of Molecular Hydrogen from Aqueous Ethanolic Solutions

Peculiarities of the behavior of porous titanium dioxide in the photocatalytic evolution of molecular hydrogen from aqueous ethanolic solutions are shown to arise from the accumulation of long lived "free" electrons and titanium(III) ions in the irradiated samples, and the slow transport of electrons to the surface of the TiO₂ particles. This explains the dependence of the effectiveness of the process on both the intensity of the irradiation and on the length of time the irradiated samples are kept in the dark.     

Photoelectrochemical behavior of nanostructural composites based on polycrystalline cadmium sulfide

Nanostructural composites can be used as suspension electrodes; they are made by substitution cadmium(II) at the surfaces of CdS microcrystals for Cu(I, II), Fe(III), Bi(III), and Sb(III). Features are considered in the photoelectrochemical action mechanism of the various nanocomposites. L. V. Pisarzhevskii Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 31 Prospekt Nauki, Kiev 252039, Ukraine. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 79–82, March–April, 1999.