Novel Bi2MoO6 Nanosheets/Vertical TiO2 Nanorods Arrays Heterojunction with Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance under Visible Light Irradiation

Novel Bi₂MoO₆/TiO₂ heterojunction was fabricated by growing Bi₂MoO₆ nanosheets arrays on the vertically aligned TiO₂ nanorods arrays via a two-step solvothermal method. The obtained Bi₂MoO₆/TiO₂ hierarchical heterojunction showed excellent visible light photoelectrochemical performance. Compared with the pure TiO₂ and Bi₂MoO₆, the photocurrent density of the heterojunction was increased 57 and 29 times, respectively. Furthermore, the hydrogen generation rate of the Bi₂MoO₆/TiO₂ for photoelectrocatalytic water-splitting was about 6 times higher than that of the pure Bi₂MoO₆. The improved performance can be attributed to the synergistic effects of enhanced absorption of visible light, increase of migration rate and separation efficiency of photo-induced carriers.     

TiO2/BiVO4, a Heterojuncted Microfiber with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance for Methylene Blue under Visible Light Irradiation

Novel TiO₂/BiVO₄ microfiber heterojunctions were constructed using cotton as biomorphic templates. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra and photocatalytic experiment. The morphology of the as-synthesized TiO₂/BiVO₄ composites was consisted of a large quantity of microfiber structures with diameter from 2.5 μm to 5 μm, and the surface of samples became more coarse and compact with the increase of weight ratio of TiO₂. The TiO₂/BiVO₄ samples with proper content (10.00wt%) showed the highest pho-tocatalytic degradation activity for methylene blue (MB) degradation among all the samples under visible light, and 88.58%MB could be degraded within 150 min. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity was mainly attributed to the formation of n-n heterojunction at the contact interface of TiO₂ and BiVO₄, which not only narrowed the band gap of BiVO₄ for extending the absorption range of visible light, but also promoted the transfer of charge carriers across interface. A possible photodegradation mechanism of MB in the presence of TiO₂/BiVO₄ microfibrous photocatalyst was proposed.     

Synthesis and characterization of ternary nanocomposites of TiO2/rGO/CdS as an efficient catalyst for photo-degradation of methyl orange

Novel ternary composite photocatalysts have been successfully prepared by TiO₂ nanofibers, reduced graphene oxide, and CdS nanoparticles (TiO₂/rGO/CdS) by using electrospinning technique with easy chemical methods. The structures and their properties are examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The structural characterization of the composite reveals that pure TiO₂ NFs and CdS NPs crystalline very well and the reduced graphene oxide is tightly composed with TiO₂ NFs and CdS Nps. The photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV light illumination is significantly enhanced compared with that of bare materials. This ternary composite degrades methyl orange within 75 min. The enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance resulted from effective separation of e–h pairs with rGO sheets and also contributed for high rate degradation efficiency. This novel ternary composite has a potential application of wastewater purification and utilization for energy conversions.     

One-pot synthesis of CuO/TiO2 nanocomposites for improved photocatalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol under direct sunlight

The excellent photocatalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) with NaBH₄ in the aqueous medium is still a big challenge. Herein, we report a facile one-pot evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method to synthesize a series of CuO/TiO₂ nanocomposites. The as-synthesized CuO/TiO₂ photocatalysts exhibit remarkable catalytic activity under direct sunlight in selective hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) due to the synergistic interaction of guest copper nanoparticles with host titanium dioxide (TiO₂) species. Especially, 5 wt% CuO/TiO₂ nanocomposite revealed superior reaction rate constant (k) value (0.306 min⁻¹) when compared to 3 wt% CuO/TiO₂ (0.192 min⁻¹) and 7 wt% CuO/TiO₂ (0.240 min⁻¹). Moreover, several characterization techniques (XRD, TEM, N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherm, DRS, and XPS) were executed to deeply investigate the effect of copper content on the bulk and interfacial properties of the catalysts. The characterization results proved that the superior photocatalytic hydrogenation over 5 wt% CuO/TiO₂ catalyst can be ascribed to moderate CuO loading as well as even dispersion of CuO species on the surface of active TiO₂ host, which can largely improve the light absorption ability within visible light region. Besides, the 5 wt% CuO/TiO₂ catalyst exhibits remarkable recyclability and durability, retaining its superior activity (above 95%) up to several repeating cycles, proving its practical applicability for hydrogenation reactions at domestic and industrial levels.     

多种纳米结构Fe掺杂TiO2光热耦合水分解制氢研究

氧空位是材料缺陷工程的重要组成. 基于光生氧空位的直接热利用, 实现纯水分解制氢的光热耦合实验, 被认为是太阳能综合利用的有效途径. 以多种制备方法合成的TiO₂纳米材料为基础, 研究了多种形貌纳米TiO₂及其Fe掺杂改性材料的光热耦合反应能力. 通过高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)、 X射线衍射(XRD)和电子顺磁共振(EPR)对晶体特征进行表征, 利用漫反射光谱(DRS)、 光致发光(PL)和三电极测试法表征了材料的性能, 并结合密度泛函理论(DFT)计算了产氢反应路径. 研究结果表明, 溶胶-凝胶法制备的纳米颗粒相比水热法制备的纳米片及纳米线, 体相内缺陷较多, 载流子强度高, 光热耦合产氢效果较差. Fe掺杂改性扩展了光响应, 增强了载流子分离和寿命, 降低了电子传输阻抗, 利于光反应过程中光生氧空位的形成, 克服了制氢反应中的关键能垒. 同时, 纳米材料中的缺陷促进了Fe离子的有效掺杂, Fe掺杂TiO₂纳米颗粒的光热耦合平均产氢量为9.73 μmol/g, 性能提升达13倍.     

TiO2晶面依赖的Ir-TiOx相互作用对Ir/TiO2催化剂巴豆醛选择性加氢性能的影响

α,β-不饱和醇是一类重要的精细化学品,主要通过α,β-不饱和醛选择性加氢获得.由于α,β-不饱和醛分子中含有共轭的C=C键和C=O键,且后者键能更大,在热力学和动力学上均不利于C=O键的选择性加氢生成α,β-不饱和醇.因此,提高α,β-不饱和醛中C=O的加氢选择性是催化领域中一项挑战性的课题.巴豆醛属于典型的α,β-不饱和醛,研究其选择性加氢生成巴豆醇具有广泛的代表意义;Ir负载在具有还原性载体(如TiO2)上时,表现出很好的C=O加氢选择性,因此,成为近年来的研究热点.由于暴露不同晶面的TiO2具有不同的形貌和电子结构,因此研究Ir-TiO2相互作用的晶面依赖性及其对巴豆醛选择性加氢反应的影响具有重要意义.本文以分别暴露{101}、{100}和{001}晶面的锐钛矿TiO2纳米晶为载体,制备了负载型Ir/TiO2催化剂,系统研究了催化剂经过不同的预处理过程(在不同温度下H2还原和O2再氧化)后对巴豆醛的气相选择性加氢的性能.利用高分辨透射电镜、原位X射线光电子能谱和原位漫反射红外光谱及氨程序升温脱附等技术研究发现,预处理条件显著改变了Ir-TiOx的相互作用,包括Ir金属的几何、电子性质及催化剂表面酸性.这种相互作用与TiO2的暴露晶面密切相关,从而改变了不同Ir/TiO2催化剂上不同加氢反应行为.研究结果表明,经300℃预还原的Ir/TiO2-{101}催化剂催化性能最好,在80℃下初始反应速率为166.1 μmol g-Ir-1 s-1,巴豆醇的生成转化频率为0.022 s-1.与其他催化剂相比,Ir/TiO2-{101}催化剂表面Ir0浓度最高,表面酸度适中,因此表现出最佳的催化性能.同时Ir-TiOx界面在反应中的协同作用,对H2和巴豆醛分子中C=O键的吸附和活化起到了关键作用.然而当催化剂经过400℃的H2预还原后,由于产生了强的金属-载体相互作用使得TiOx对Ir粒子进行了包裹从而导致Ir-TiOx界面缺失,因而催化剂催化巴豆醛加氢性能降低.本文为理解金属-载体相互作用对巴豆醛选择性加氢反应的影响提供了新的见解,并为设计高性能α,β-不饱和醛选择性加氢催化剂提供了理论依据.     

Cr2O3/C@TiO2核壳型复合材料的设计合成及其光催化产氢性能

随着社会经济的快速发展,能源危机和环境污染问题成为世界各国关注的焦点.通过光催化剂将太阳能用于污染物降解、分解水产氢、CO2还原及有机物合成等领域,是解决上述问题的理想途径.过渡金属氧化物TiO2因其稳定性高、催化活性好、制备简单等优点,被认为是最理想的光催化材料.然而,TiO2带隙较宽、光响应范围窄、光量子效率低等缺点限制了其实际应用.将碳或Cr2O3与TiO2结合形成复合结构已被证明可以有效提升其光催化性能.另一方面,金属离子的掺杂可以有效提高氧化钛的可见光响应.本文利用具有高比表面积的金属有机骨架材料MIL-101(Cr)纳米材料作为模板、镉源和碳源,首先在MIL-101(Cr)表面可控生长TiO2纳米颗粒,获得MIL-101(Cr)@TiO2复合结构;然后在氮气保护下碳化形成Cr2O3/C@TiO2核壳型复合材料.碳化后,制备的复合材料具有模板的八面体形貌和高比表面积,MIL-101(Cr)中的Cr元素一部分会形成Cr2O3,一部分会掺杂到TiO2中,使得TiO2的吸收边红移.此外,Cr2O3/C@TiO2中的C有利于光的吸收和载流子的分离.这种独特的纳米结构赋予Cr2O3/C@TiO2复合材料优异的光催化性能.在300 W氙灯照射下,该复合材料光解水产氢的速率为446μmol h?1 g?1,约为纯TiO2的4倍.在可见光照射下,Cr2O3/C@TiO2分解水产氢的速率为25.5μmol h?1 g?1.将获得的粉体催化剂制备成光电极发现,Cr2O3/C@TiO2在全幅光照射下的光电流密度在0.4 V(vs.Ag/AgCl)下达到2.3 mA/cm2,约为纯TiO2的3.5倍.Cr2O3/C@TiO2光催化产氢活性的提高一方面是由于Cr掺杂到TiO2中使得其具有可见光响应,另一方面MIL-101碳化获得的Cr2O3/C有效促进了光生载流子的分离.     

Surface Functionalization of PEO Nanofibers Using a TiO2 Suspension as Sheath Fluid in a Modified Coaxial Electrospinning Process

Convenient and integration fabrication process is a key issue for the application of functional nanofibers. A surface functionalization method was developed based on coaxial electrospinning to produce ultraviolet(UV) protection nanofibers. The titanium dioxide(TiO₂) nanoparticles suspension was delivered through the shell channel of the coaxial spinneret, by which the aggregation of TiO₂ nanoparticles was overcome and the distribution uniformity on the surface of polyethylene oxide(PEO) nanofiber was obtained. With the content of TiO₂ increasing from 0 to 3%(mass fraction), the average diameter of nanofibers increased from (380±30) nm to (480±100) nm. The surface functionalization can be realized during the electrospinning process to gain PEO/TiO₂ composite nanofibers directly. The uniform distribution of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the surface of nanofibers enhanced the UV absorption and resistance performance. The maximum UV protection factor(UPF) value of composite nanofibers reaches 2751. This work presented a novel surface-functionalized way for the preparation of composite nanofiber, which has great application potential in the field of micro/nano system integration fabrication.     

Co3O4 Decorated Ti/TiO2 Nanotubes for Photogenerated Cathodic Protection of 304 Stainless Steel

The Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ nanotube arrays(NTAs) coatings are fabricated by the combination of anodization and impregna-ting methods. It is found that the introduction of Co₃O₄ can reduce the diffraction intensity of (101) plane of the TiO₂ and accelerate the separation of photogenerated electron/hole pairs. In addition, the open circuit potential(OCP) and the corrosion potential of 304 stainless steel(304SS) with or without Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs were measured under visible light, which indicated the 304SS coupled with Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs had better anticorrosion performance than that of the 304SS or the 304SS coupled with pure TiO₂ NTAs. The enhancement of the cathodic protection performance of the Co₃O₄ decorated TiO₂ NTAs can be ascribed to the matched energy levels and strong interaction between Co₃O₄ and TiO₂ NTAs, and the improvement of light absorption.     

Reactive TiO2 Nanoparticles Compatibilized PLLA/PBSU Blends:Fully Biodegradable Polymer Composites with Improved Physical,Antibacterial and Degradable Properties

The fully biodegradable polymer blends remain challenges for the application due to their undesirable comprehensive performance.Herein,remarkable combination of superior mechanical performance,bacterial resistance,and controllable degradability is realized in the biodegradable poly(L-lactide)/poly(butylene succinate) (PLLA/PBSU) blends by stabilizing the epoxide group modified titanium dioxide nanoparticles (m-TiO2) at the PLLA-PBSU interface through reactive blending.The m-TiO2 can not only act as interfacial compatibilizer but also play the role of photodegradation catalyst:on the one hand,binary grafted nanoparticles were in situ formed and stabilized at the interface to enhance the compatibility between polymer phases.As a consequence,the mechanical properties of the blend,such as the elongation at break,notched impact strength and tensile yield strength,were simultaneously improved.On the other hand,antibacterial and photocatalytic degradation performance of the composite films was synergistically improved,it was found that the m-TiO2 incorporated PLLA/PBSU films exhibit more effective antibacterial activity than the neat PLLA/PBSU films.Moreover,the analysis of photodegradable properties revealed that that m-TiO2 nanoparticles could act as a photocatalyst to accelerate the photodegradation rate of polymers.This study paves a new strategy to fabricate advanced PLLA/PBSU blend materials with excellent mechanical performance,antibacterial and photocatalytic degradation performance,which enables the potential utilization of fully degradable polymers.