Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles fluorine-modified with TiF<Subscript>4</Subscript>

Fluorine-modified TiO₂ nan oparticles were synthesized by introducing TiF₄ as a fluorine source either before or after the sufficient hydrolysis and condensation of Ti(OEt)₄. The photocatalytic activity of the fluorine-modified catalysts was found to be greatly affected by the fluorine position in TiO₂ nanoparticles. When TiF₄ and Ti(OEt)₄ hydrolyzed with synchronization, the fluorine tended to be doped in the lattice. The formation of Ti³⁺ defects could result in charge recombination in bulk and bring down the photocatalytic activity. In contrast, if TiF₄ was introduced after the sufficient hydrolysis and condensation of Ti(OEt)₄. Ti−F bonds could exist mainly on the TiO₂ particles surface, which not only prevented the growth of anatase crystals but also facilitated the transfer of organic compounds from solution to catalyst surface by reducing the hydrophilic properties.     

SiO2复合Pt-Cd0.53Zn0.47S固溶体的光催化性能

采用共沉淀法制备了Cd0.53Zn0.47S固溶体光催化剂, 以光还原沉积法负载Pt, 水解正硅酸乙酯负载SiO2, 得到了负载Pt的SiO2复合光催化剂SiO2/Pt-Cd0.53Zn0.47S, 并研究了水解pH值对其催化活性的影响. 通过X射线衍射(XRD)、比表面(BET)、荧光光谱(PL)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)和扫描电镜(SEM)等测试技术对催化剂进行了表征. 结果表明, SiO2复合光催化剂有效地抑制了Pt-Cd0.53Zn0.47S光催化过程中发生的光腐蚀和粒子团聚, 促使光生电子和空穴分离, 从而使可见光制氢催化剂活性和稳定性大大提高.     

Highly-Active Chiral Organic Photovoltaic Catalysts with Suppressed Charge Recombination

Recombination of free charges in organic semiconductors reduces the available photo-induced charge-carriers and restricts photovoltaic efficiency. In this work, the chiral organic semiconductors (Y6-R and Y6-S with enantiopure R- and S- chiral alkyl sidechains) are designed and synthesized, which show effective aggregation-induced chirality through mainchain packing with chiral conformations in non-centrosymmetric space groups with tilt chirality. Based on the analysis of spin-injection, magnetic-hysteresis loop, and thermodynamics and dynamics of the excited state, we suggest that the aggregation-induced chirality can generate spin-polarization, which suppresses charge recombination and offers more available charge-carriers within Y6-R and Y6-S relative to the achiral counterpart (Y6). Then the chiral Y6-R and Y6-S show enhanced catalytic activity with optimal average hydrogen evolution rates of 205 and 217 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹, respectively, 60–70 % higher than Y6, when they are employed as nanoparticle photocatalysts in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under simulated solar light, AM1.5G, 100 mW cm⁻².     

Preparation and characterization of hydrophobic TiO(2) pillared clay: the effect of acid hydrolysis catalyst and doped Pt amount on photocatalytic activity

Titanium hydrate sols were prepared using different acid hydrolysis catalysts, i.e., acetic acid and hydrochloric acid. The platinum-doped TiO(2) sol-gels were also synthesized by adding K(2)PtCl(6) into the titanium hydrate sols. The hydrophobic montmorillonite clay, treated with organic cationic surfactant, i.e., hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, was used as a template to prepare TiO(2) pillared photocatalyst with the above sols. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were employed to characterize the resulting photocatalysts. The adsorption performance and photoactivity of prepared pillared clays were studied by using methyl orange as a model organic pollutant. The preliminary results indicated that the hydrophobic TiO(2) pillared clay prepared with acetic acid as the acid hydrolysis catalysts possessed higher photocatalytic activity than that with hydrochloric acid. Due to the excellent sedimentation property of the clay, the resulting pillared photocatalyst is easily recovered and reused in the postrun treatment. Also the doping of platinum into the hydrophobic photocatalyst can increase the photocatalytic activity significantly.     

Fabrication of Porous Titania Particles from Water-in-Oil Emulsions for the Applications of Photocatalyst

In this study, polystyrene nanospheres were synthesized by dispersion polymerization using batch-type reactor for the self-organization with precursor materials inside emulsion droplets. Mechanical homogenization was applied for the emulsification of the polymeric nanospheres and titanium diisopropoxide bis (acetylacetonate) to produce the macroporous titania particles by evaporation-driven self-assembly. Similarly, spherical titania crystallites could be synthesized via self-organization using triblock copolymer instead of polymeric latex beads after successive calcination. The morphologies of the porous particles were observed using electron microscope, and the crystallinity of the porous titania particles was analyzed by powder x-ray diffraction. As a demonstrative application, the macroporous titania microparticles with anatase phase were adopted as photocatalyst for the decomposition of Rhodamine B, and excellent catalytic performance was observed with higher rate constant compared to the result from commercial titania nanocolloid. Collectively, our macroporous titania microparticles were found to be safe catalytic materials for human body minimizing the skin toxicity since the size of the catalysts is in the micron-range.     

Selective visible light reduction of carbon dioxide over iridium(III)-terpyridine photocatalysts

The CO₂ reduction reaction is an imperative piece of technology that closes the carbon cycle in many critical energy conversion and chemical manufacturing processes. Here, we report two new iridium (III) terpyridine-based photocatalysts capable of selective reduction of CO₂ to CO under visible light (λ ≥ 420 nm). The first photocatalyst, [Ir–COOH], was functionalized with the carboxyl group on the phenylpyridine, whereas the second, [Ir-PhCOOH], was attached to a phenyl spacer on the terpyridine. The [Ir-PhCOOH] was characterized by a higher extinction coefficient than [Ir–COOH], thus allowing more absorption of photons. Although both photocatalysts require two-electron activation, the [Ir-PhCOOH] is more readily activated as a result of the more negatively charged Ir center. These photocatalysts show exclusive selectivities in the production of CO. The turnover frequencies for [Ir–COOH] and [Ir-PhCOOH] were 19 and 10 h^?1, respectively, under visible light irradiation. The e-e-H-H pathway was identified as the most favorable, consisting of the rate-limiting step in the conversion of 1COOH to 1CO, and where the barrier is significantly lower for [Ir-PhCOOH] than for [Ir–COOH].     

源于功函数差异的界面内建电场调控载流子定向分离的作用机制研究

近年来,由有机污染物和重金属引起的水污染对人类健康、生态系统和社会可持续发展构成了严重威胁.而光催化技术以其高效、低成本、节能、无二次污染等优点成为解决日益严重的环境污染问题的一个极具吸引力的策略.众所周知,宽光谱吸收、高效载流子分离和快速的表面反应动力学是高性能光催化剂所必备的基本条件.而多孔TiO2空心球具有以下结构优势:(1)成本低、无毒、氧化还原电位适中、物理化学性质稳定;(2)中空结构有利于入射光多重散射,而且大表面积可以暴露更多的活性位点;(3)多孔结构有利于传质过程.但是,窄光谱吸收和低的光生载流子分离效率严重阻碍了空心结构TiO2的实际应用.因此,通过耦合窄带隙半导体构建异质结光催化剂可以有效提高光吸收和促进光生电荷的分离.窄带隙(Eg=2.18–2.44 eV)半导体材料SnS2具有无毒、化学性质稳定、低成本和宽谱响应等诸多优点.若将超薄SnS2纳米片锚定生长在多孔TiO2空心球表面,将对异质结的光催化性能产生显著的影响.一方面,分级结构的空心球具有高可见光捕获率;另一方面,超薄SnS2纳米片具有更短的载流子扩散距离,从而有效地抑制光生载流子在催化剂体相内部复合.然而,由于其能带结构的限制,二元TiO2/SnS2复合材料很容易形成嵌入式I型异质结,在很大程度上降低了光催化氧化还原能力.此外,在光催化剂表面聚集的光生电子和空穴容易发生随机性复合.因此,迫切需要通过引入界面驱动力来调节表面载流子的分离和转移.众多研究表明,通过化学功能化可以实现对还原氧化石墨烯(rGO)的能带结构、功函数、电导率、亲水性和光学性质的调控.功能化的rGO可以作为优良的空穴提取材料,在rGO两侧分别耦合不同能级结构的半导体光催化材料,通过异质界面能级和功函数差异带来的界面内建电场,精确调控光生载流子在界面间的空间分离和定向迁移.基于上述分析,本文通过改进的"硅保护煅烧"方法合成了分级多孔SnS2/rGO/TiO2空心球异质结光催化剂.分级多孔空心球的结构优势不仅增强其光捕获能力,而且为光氧化还原反应提供了丰富的活性位点.特别是,在TiO2和SnS2纳米薄片之间嵌入的rGO中间层可以作为空穴注入层.由不同功函数导致的界面内建电场可以精确地调控光生空穴从SnS2纳米薄片的价带向rGO空穴注入层定向迁移,显著延长了光生载流子的寿命.在可见光照射下,负载2 wt％rGO的分级多孔SnS2/rGO/TiO2空心球异质结光催化剂对罗丹明B染料的降解率可达97.3％,对Cr(VI)的还原效率可达97.09％.此外,经过六个周期的循环实验,该异质结催化降解罗丹明B和还原Cr(VI)的效率没有明显降低,表现出较好的光催化稳定性.     

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.     

Bi掺杂NaTaO3中Bi的化学价态对其光催化性能的影响

分别采用NaBiO3和Bi(NO3)3为Bi源制备了Bi掺杂NaTaO3光催化剂,研究了Bi离子的价态对NaTaO3光催化分解水制氢性能的影响.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、拉曼光谱、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外-可见吸收光谱研究了催化剂的晶体结构、Bi离子的化学状态和催化剂的光学吸收性能.以光催化分解水制氢反应研究了Bi离子掺杂NaTaO3的催化性能. XRD结果表明,对于两个不同Bi源掺杂的NaTaO3样品, Bi离子的掺杂没有改变催化剂的单斜相结构,但拉曼光谱证实Bi离子的掺杂致使Ta–O–Ta键角偏离了180o. XPS结果表明,以Bi(NO3)3为Bi源时, Bi离子以Bi3+掺杂于NaTaO3的A位;当以NaBiO3为原料时, Bi3+和Bi5+共掺杂于NaTaO3的A位.两种不同Bi源掺杂得到的样品在紫外-可见吸收光谱中给出了相似的光学吸收,但Bi3+的掺杂对NaTaO3光催化性能影响不大,而Bi3+和Bi5+共掺杂大大提高了NaTaO3的光解水制氢性能. Bi离子取代Na离子在A位的掺杂,在NaTaO3结构中引入了能够促进载流子分离的空位和缺陷;与此同时, Bi的掺杂导致Ta–O–Ta键角偏离180o而不利于载流子迁移.对于Bi3+掺杂的NaTaO3样品,这两种作用相互抵消,使得其催化性能与NaTaO3相比没有变化;而Bi3+和Bi5+的共掺杂和高价态Bi5+的掺杂引入了更多的空位和缺陷,提高了光生电子-空穴的分离效率,从而提高了光催化产氢性能.研究表明,光催化过程中载流子的迁移是影响催化性能的重要因素,而在ABO3钙钛矿结构的A位引入高价态离子是促进光生载流子分离的有效途径.     

石墨烯修饰三氧化钨/二氧化钛S型异质结增强的光催化产氢活性（英文）

太阳光驱动的光催化分解水产氢是利用太阳能解决当前能源危机和环境问题的理想策略.二氧化钛由于其稳定、环境友好和成本低等优点受到广泛研究,在光催化领域具有不可或缺的作用.然而,纯二氧化钛光催化剂具有光生电子-空穴复合率高、太阳能利用率低等缺点,使其在光催化产氢领域的应用受到限制.迄今为止,人们探索了多种改性策略来提高二氧化钛的光催化活性,如贵金属负载、金属或非金属元素掺杂、构建异质结等.通过复合两个具有合适能带排布的半导体来构建异质结可以大大提高光生载流子的分离,被认为是一种有效的解决方案.最近提出了一种新的S型异质结概念,以解释不同半导体异质界面载流子转移分离的问题.S型异质结是在传统Ⅱ型和Z型(液相Z型、全固态Z型、间接Z型、直接Z型)基础上提出的,但又扬长避短,优于传统Ⅱ型和Z型.通常,S型异质结是由功函数较小、费米能级较高的还原型半导体光催化剂和功函数较大、费米能级较低的氧化型半导体光催化剂构建而成.三氧化钨禁带宽度较小(2.4-2.8 eV),功函数较大,是典型的氧化型光催化剂,也是构建S型异质结的理想半导体光催化剂.根据S型电荷转移机制,三氧化钨/二氧化钛复合物在光辐照下,三氧化钨导带上相对无用的电子与二氧化钛价带上相对无用的空穴复合,二氧化钛导带上还原能力较强的电子和三氧化钨价带上氧化能力较强的空穴得以保留,从而在异质界面上实现了氧化还原能力较强的光生电子-空穴对的分离.同时,石墨烯作为一种蜂窝状碳原子二维材料,是理想的电子受体,在异质结光催化剂中能及时转移电子.而且,石墨烯具有较好的导热性和电子迁移率,光吸收强,比表面积大,可为光催化反应提供丰富的吸附和活性位点,已经被认为是一种重要催化剂载体和光电分解水产氢的有效共催化剂.本文采用简便的一步水热法制备石墨烯修饰的三氧化钨/二氧化钛S型异质结光催化剂.光催化产氢性能测试表明,三氧化钨/二氧化钛/石墨烯复合材料的光催化产氢速率显著提高(245.8μmol g^-1 h^-1),约为纯TiO2的3.5倍.高分辨透射电子显微镜、拉曼光谱和X射线光电子能谱结果证明了TiO2和WO3纳米颗粒的紧密接触,并成功负载在还原氧化石墨烯(rGO)上.X射线光电子能谱中Ti 2p结合能的增加证实TiO2和WO3之间强的相互作用和S型异质结的形成.此外,复合材料中的rGO大大拓展了复合物的光吸收范围(紫外-可见漫反射光谱),增强了光热转换效应,而且rGO与TiO2之间形成肖特基结,促进了TiO2导带电子的转移和分离.总之,WO3和TiO2的S型异质结与TiO2和rGO之间的肖特基异质结的协同效应抑制了相对有用的电子和空穴的复合,有利于氧化还原能力较强的载流子的分离和进一步转移,加速了表面产氢动力学,于是增强了三元复合光催化剂的光催化产氢活性.