High efficiency of Mn–Ce‐modified TiO2 catalysts for the low‐temperature oxidation of Hg0 under a reducing atmosphere

Manganese‐ and cerium oxide‐modified titania catalysts were prepared by the deposition precipitation for the removal of elemental mercury (Hg⁰) from simulated yellow phosphorus off‐gas at low temperature. In addition, these catalysts were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurements, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and field‐emission scanning electron microscope to determine the surface morphology of the obtained compounds and explore their formation mechanism. The results revealed that a Mn–Ce loading and reaction temperature of 10% and 150 °C, respectively, as well as a Mn/Ce molar ratio of 2:1, led to an optimal efficiency for the oxidation of elemental mercury. Furthermore, the effects of flue gas components were investigated. The presence of O₂ clearly promoted the oxidation of Hg⁰. A CO atmosphere did not affect the Hg⁰ oxidation, when compared with N₂, whereas the presence of H₂S and water vapor inhibited the oxidation process. Furthermore, the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra of Hg 4f revealed that the elemental mercury adsorbed by the catalyst is present as HgO. Finally, the Hg⁰ catalytic oxidation mechanism was discussed on the basis of the experimental results and characterization analysis.     

Synthesis of Bi-doped TiO2 Nanotubes and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution from Glycerol Solution

Bi‐doped TiO₂ nanotubes with variable Bi/Ti ratios were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment in 10 mol·L^?1 NaOH (aq.) through using Bi‐doped TiO₂ particles derived from conventional sol‐gel method as starting materials. The effects of Bi content on the morphology, textural properties, photo absorption and photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanotubes were investigated. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) observations of the obtained samples revealed the formation of titanate nanotube structure doped with Bi, which exists as a higher oxidation state than Bi³⁺. Bi‐doping TiO₂ nanotubes exhibited an extension of light absorption into the visible region and improved photocatalytic activities for hydrogen production from a glycerol/water mixed solution as compared with pure TiO₂ nanotubes. There was an optimal Bi‐doped content for the photocatalytic hydrogen production, and high content of Bi would retard the phase transition of titanate to anatase and result in morphology change from nanotube to nanobelt, which in turn decreases the photocatlytic activity for hydrogen evolution.     

TiO2 Thin Film with Varied Porous Structure Applied on the Degradation of Methylene Blue

In this study, porous TiO₂ thin films were prepared by the sol‐gel method employing polyethylene glycol 1000 (PEG 1000) as an organic template. Pore sizes were adjusted by varying the concentration of PEG 1000. The optimal PEG concentration range required to form TiO₂ films with a regular porous structure was investigated and was found to be 0.01–0.015 M. As the PEG 1000 concentration increased, the surface of these films became rougher because of larger pores. Degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV irradiation was used to determine the photocatalytic activity of the films. In addition, the effect of the pH value of the MB solution on the films was evaluated by controlling its pH value at 5, 7, and 9. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity was correlated to the pore size and pore density of the thin films. TiO2 thin films possessing pore sizes in the diameter range of 35–85 nm exhibited the best conversion of 98% after 8 h of UV irradiation when the pH value was 7.     

Cu-V-O氧化物催化燃烧甲苯的活性和抗硫性

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备一系列不同Cu/V比例的Cu-V-O催化剂,利用XRD、BET、H₂-TPR等手段对催化剂进行了表征,并考察其催化燃烧甲苯的活性和抗硫性。结果表明,适量的Cu掺杂会提高催化剂比表面积,而且Cu-V可以形成Cu₃V₂O₈晶型结构,使V₂O₅晶格氧活动增加,提高催化剂氧化-还原能力。其中,Cu_0.15V_0.85催化剂表现出最佳的活性和抗硫性;通过TiO₂负载可以进一步提高催化剂对甲苯的催化燃烧活性和抗硫性。     

复合光催化剂CdS-Pt/TiO2制备及可见光光解海水制氢性能

水热法制备了单斜CdS与Pt/TiO2复合的光催化剂.通过X射线衍射、紫外-可见漫反射光谱、荧光光谱、扫描电子显微镜和BET方法对催化剂进行了表征.以可见光光解纯水和海水制氢为探针反应,考察了CdS-Pt/TiO2光催化剂的活性.结果表明:海水中无机盐的存在有利于电子给体捕获光生空穴,提高了电子和空穴的分离效果;海水中单斜CdS可转化为立方和六方混合晶相.最佳条件下,催化剂光解海水制氢活性比纯水提高了33%,而且有较高的稳定性.     

Electrochemical behavior in simulated body fluid of TiO2 nanotubes on TiAlNb alloy elaborated in various anodizing electrolyte

The present study is focused on tailoring the morphology of TiO₂ nanotubes obtained on Ti6Al7Nb alloy and evaluating their electrochemical behavior in simulated body fluid. The presence of the α and β phases on the Ti6Al7Nb alloy leads to a two‐scale organization of the nanotubes on the samples – which in turn affects the electrochemical stability. Furthermore, five different types of TiO₂ nanotubes were obtained in various electrolytes (e.g. Generation I, a mixture of Generation II and Generation III, Generation III). Electrochemical behavior analysis of all obtained nanotubes morphologies was composed of Tafel plots, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and was correlated with morphology data obtained from SEM (nanotubes diameters from top‐view and nanotube length from cross‐section view). The electrochemical results showed that morphological modifications of the Ti6Al7Nb alloy's surface by electrochemical anodizing have induced changes to the electrochemical behavior of the material, evident in the corrosion rates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

TiO2 nanotube arrays prepared by anodization as an adsorbent in micro‐solid‐phase extraction to preconcentrate and determine nitrogen‐containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples

In this study, a simultaneous determination method for nitrogen‐containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons including 7‐methylquinoline, acridine, 5,6‐benzoquinoline, carbazole, and 9‐methylcarbazole was developed. This method is based on a micro‐solid phase extraction using TiO₂ nanotube arrays as an adsorbent in combination with HPLC. Some factors that had an effect on the enrichment were optimized, such as sample pH, surfactant concentration, ion strength, type of eluent, equilibrium time, and desorption time. Under the optimized conditions, the linear ranges and LODs were in the range of 0.01–100 and 0.0035–0.81 μg/L, respectively. The precisions of the proposed method were <9.51% (RSD, n = 6). The developed method was validated with four real samples, and the spiked recoveries were in the range of 77–109.6%. All these results demonstrated that this novel micro‐solid‐phase extraction technique was a reliable alternative to conventional preconcentration method for the extraction and analysis of such nitrogen‐containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in complex samples.     

Preparation and Photocatalytic Activity of Ce,H3PW12O40 co-doped TiO2 Hollow Fibers

A series of Ce, H3PW12O40 co-doped TiO2 hollow fibers photocatalysts have been prepared by sol-gel method using ammonium ceric nitrate, H3PW12O40 and tetrabutyltitanate as precursors and cotton fibers as template, followed by calcination at 500 ℃ in N2 atmosphere for 2 h. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption mea- surements, and UV-Vis spectroscopy are employed to characterize the morphology, crystal structure, surface structure, and optical absorption properties of the samples. The photo- catalytic performance of the samples has been studied by photodegradation phenol in water under UV and visible light irradiation. The results show that the TiO2 fiber materials have hollow structures, and the co-doped TiO2 hollow fibers exhibit higher photocatalytic activities for the degradation of phenol than un-doped, single-doped TiO2 hollow fibers under UV and visible light. In addition, the recyclability of co-doped TiO2 fibers is also confirmed that the TiO2 fiber retains ca. 90% of its activity after being used four times. It is shown that the co-doped TiO2 fibers can be activated by visible light and may be potentially applied to the treatment of water contaminated by organic pollutants. The synergistic effect of Ce and H3PW12O40 co-doping plays an important role in improving the photocatalytic activity.