Self‐assembly of metal–organic framework thin films containing metalloporphyrin and their photocatalytic activity under visible light

With [5,10,15,20‐tetra(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrin]Mn(III) and sterically controlled 2,2¢‐dimethyl‐4,4¢‐pyridine as the main raw materials, metal–organic framework thin films containing metalloporphyrin (MnPor‐MOF) with catalytically active sites were built up on functionalized quartz glass surfaces using a layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly method. Retaining active catalytic sites and having a porous reticular structure, the MnPor‐MOF films possessed remarkable photocatalytic activity for oxidative degradation of methylene blue in the presence of hydrogen peroxide under visible‐light irradiation. Most meaningfully, the MnPor‐MOF films were highly stable and simply and conveniently reusable, and are thus a potentially new organic material for photocatalytic wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dephosphatation under UV light of water by Ti-PILC with activation by secondary species (La,Se, and Rb)

Me/Ti-PILC catalysts (Me: La, Se, Rb) were prepared with 60% in weight of Ti-species and 3% in weight of Me-secondary species added under ultrasounds. All materials were characterized by XRF, XPS, XRD, BET, HR-TEM/EDS, FEG-SEM and UV-vis. Three kinds of Ti-oxide nanoparticles were identified: (1) Ti-pillars within the clay layers, (2) rutile nanoflowers, and (3) anatase. In UV-vis spectra, no significant change in the band-gap was observed. In La and Se samples, small variations of the anatase XRD lines are associated with cationic diffusion after deposition of secondary species and calcination. An O1s XPS-peak (533.5 eV) is attributed to oxygen vacancies generated by this diffusion. Phosphate photo-removal in water was studied using phosphoric acid solution (75.97 g L⁻¹). Dephosphatation is significantly improved in the presence of Me-species as La/Ti-PILC > Se/Ti-PILC > Rb/Ti-PILC > Ti-PILC. Partial dephosphatation by adsorption is possible in the dark but is strongly improved by UV irradiation. With a La catalyst and under UV irradiation, phosphates (6.6 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹) were recovered in less than 70 min. Therefore, Me/Ti-PILC have a great potential as photocatalysts for the treatment of wastewaters and the recovery of phosphates.     

Semiconductor Photocatalysis—Mechanistic and Synthetic Aspects

Preceding work on photoelectrochemistry at semiconductor single‐crystal electrodes has formed the basis for the tremendous growth in the three last decades in the field of photocatalysis at semiconductor powders. The reason for this is the unique ability of inorganic semiconductor surfaces to photocatalyze concerted reduction and oxidation reactions of a large variety of electron‐donor and ‐acceptor substrates. Whereas great attention was paid to water splitting and the exhaustive aerobic degradation of pollutants, only a small amount of research also explored synthetic aspects. After introducing the basic mechanistic principles, standard experiments for the preparation and characterization of visible light active photocatalysts as well as the investigation of reaction mechanisms are discussed. Novel atom‐economic C? C and C? N coupling reactions illustrate the relevance of semiconductor photocatalysis for organic synthesis, and demonstrate that the multidisciplinary field combines classical photochemistry with electrochemistry, solid‐state chemistry, and heterogeneous catalysis.     

Visible‐Light‐Active Elemental Photocatalysts

Seeking visible‐light‐active photocatalysts for efficient solar‐energy conversion has become an intensifying endeavor worldwide. In this concept paper, general requirements for finding new visible‐light‐active photocatalysts are briefly introduced, and recent progress in exploring elemental photocatalysts for clean‐energy generation and environmental remediation are reviewed. Finally, opportunities and challenges facing elemental photocatalysts are discussed.     

反应介质对溶剂热法合成CuS晶体的影响

以氯化铜、硫脲为反应物,通过溶剂热法合成了具有不同形貌的微纳米分级结构CuS晶体,研究了不同反应介质对材料的形貌、晶体结构以及反应产量等的影响。结果表明,以N,N-二甲基甲酰胺（DMF）为溶剂,可以得到微米级六角花状CuS晶体,以乙二醇或者水/DMF混合物为溶剂,得到的CuS晶体为微米球花状,CuS晶体的产量随着溶剂中水所占比例的增大,呈现先上升后下降的结果,当V_DMF：V_H2O=1：1时得到CuS的最大产量,为理论产量的64.5%。当V_DMF：V_H2O=2：1时得到的CuS晶体具有良好的光催化活性,能够在氙灯模拟的自然光照射2.5 h以内使罗丹明B污染物溶液的脱色率达到96.7%。     

声化学辅助溶剂热合成高光催化性能的BiOCl光催化剂

以五水硝酸铋和氯化钠为原料,乙二醇(EG)和水作溶剂,通过声化学辅助溶剂热法合成了系列BiOCl纳米晶光催化剂。应用氮气物理吸附、X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)漫反射(DRS)和光电流等测试手段对所制备的光催化剂进行了表征。在汞灯和氙灯照射下,以苯酚和甲基橙为水体模型污染物,系统考察了超声辐射时间和醇水比(V_EG/V_H2O)对BiOCl光催化剂性能的影响。结果表明,当超声辐射时间为60 min,V_EG/V_H2O=1/4时,合成的BiOCl表现出最佳的光催化活性,为常规沉淀法制备的BiOCl的3.3倍。活性提高的主要原因是,适当时间的超声波辐射和醇水比有利于催化剂比表面积的提高,同时可以丰富催化剂表面羟基(-OH)的数量和提高光生电子和空穴的分离效率。