Construction of a novel ZnCo2O4/Bi2O3 heterojunction photocatalyst with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

A novel ZnCo₂O₄/Bi₂O₃ heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared via balling method. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is mainly attributed to the broad photoabsorption and low recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, which is driven by the photogenerated potential difference formed at the ZnCo₂O₄/Bi₂O₃ heterojunction interface.     

Euphorbia polygonifolia extract assisted biosynthesis of Fe3O4@CuO nanoparticles: Applications in the removal of metronidazole,ciprofloxacin and cephalexin antibiotics from aqueous solutions under UV irradiation

In this study, a new, economical and green method was reported for synthesizing Fe₃O₄@CuO nanoparticles without adding any surfactants using Euphorbia polygonifolia extract as a renewable, mild and safe reducing agent and effective stabilizer. The green synthesized NPs were analyzed by various methods such as XRD, FESEM, FT-IR, EDS, VSM, UV–visible, DRS, BET and TGA-DTA. Based on the BET analysis, the Fe₃O₄@CuO NP had a surface area of 69.20 m²/g. The FTIR analysis verified the existence of different functional groups of phytochemicals from Euphorbia polygonifolia extract which were accountable for the NPs formation. The catalytic performance of the catalyst for the degradation of metronidazole, ciprofloxacin and cephalexin antibiotics was examined in aqueous mediums at room temperature. The results showed an extraordinary catalytic performance, easy reusability and long-term stability of the composite for reducing antibiotic pollution. In this process, the effects of environmental conditions such as initial pH of the environment, initial concentration of antibiotics, the concentration of modified photocatalyst and reaction time were studied. According to the results, at the optimal conditions, the highest removal efficiency for metronidazole, ciprofloxacin and cephalexin antibiotics using Fe₃O₄@CuO nanoparticles, were 89%, 94%, and 96%, respectively. Also, it was observed that even after recycling, the NPs presents good nanocatalytic stability for the degradation of antibiotics. Using the NPs for five cycles did not significantly alter the photocatalyst efficiency, showing that the photocatalytic stability of the NPs was excellent.     

Tailorable carbazolyl cyanobenzene-based photocatalysts for visible light-induced reduction of aryl halides

Herein, a series of carbazolyl cyanobenzene (CCB)-based organic photocatalysts with a broad range of photoredox capabilities were designed and synthesized, allowing precise control of the photocatalytic reactivity for the controllable reduction of aryl halides via a metal-free process. The screened-out CCB (5CzBN), a metal-free, low-cost, scalable and sustainable photocatalyst with both strong oxidative and reductive ability, exhibits superior performance for both dehalogenation and CC bond-forming arylation reactions.     

碳自掺杂g-C3N4光催化性能的原位光微量热-荧光光谱研究

通过在尿素前驱体中添加单宁酸, 原位缩聚形成碳自掺杂石墨相氮化碳(g-C₃N₄). 利用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、 场发射扫描电子显微镜(FESEM)、 X射线衍射(XRD)仪和同步热分析(TG-DSC)等方法对碳自掺杂 g-C₃N₄的形貌、 物相结构和能带价态组分进行表征分析, 结合紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)和原位光微量热-荧光光谱联用仪获得碳自掺杂g-C₃N₄降解罗丹明B的原位热/动力学信息和三维荧光光谱信息, 探讨了光催化降解罗丹明B的微观机制. 结果表明, 单宁酸浓度≤10 mg/mL时, 碳会取代七嗪单元结构的氮原子形成g-C₃N₄骨架碳自掺杂; 单宁酸浓度≥ 20 mg/mL时, 碳以无定形形式沉积负载在g-C₃N₄表面上形成无定形碳自掺杂. 骨架碳自掺杂g-C₃N₄形成的π电子有效缩短了禁带宽度, 减小了光生电子-空穴复合几率, 比无定形C掺杂g-C₃N₄显示出更优异的光催化性能, 催化主要活性物种为h⁺和·O{}_{\mathrm{2}}^{-}. 碳自掺杂g-C₃N₄光催化降解过程可分为光响应吸热、 降解污染物放热平衡过程和稳定放热3个过程. 其中骨架碳自掺杂g-C₃N₄(C/N摩尔比为0.844)在光照1000 s内, 三维荧光光谱检测的RhB降解率锐减, 光照1000 s后, 其RhB降解率为87.6%, 分别是原始g-C₃N₄和无定形碳自掺杂g-C₃N₄的3.13倍和1.95倍. 光照1000 s后, 光微量热计显示以矿化和降解非荧光发色中间产物为主, 并保持以热变速率为(0.9799±0.5356) μJ/s稳定放热, 为拟零级反应过程, 是光催化反应的决速步骤.     

Overview on multicomponent ceramic composite materials used for efficient photocatalysis – An update

Water is an important item for the survival of humans, animals and plants in the planet earth. In the industrialized world, water pollution is raising every day, mainly in the textile, paper, medicine, and plastic production industries. Pollution from coloured compounds is primarily identified as being the major threat to wastewater. In the absence of any pre-treatment, substituted phenols, dyes and agricultural wastes seriously contaminate groundwater systems. For the removal of dyes from the industrial waste water, the following three traditional methods are used: chemical, physical and biological but, the cost of the methods little high. For alternation of these methods, now a days photocatalytic degradation method was used. Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles are excellent catalysts for reducing and degrading aqueous phase nitro compounds and aromatic dyes. Nanoparticles are commonly assembled into two types, i.e., organic (carbon nanoparticles) and inorganic (metal, semiconductor and magnetic nanoparticles) nanoparticles. In this review article we are mainly focused on the behaviour of different types of pure metal oxides and metal oxide@metal/metal oxide/carbon/polymer nanocomposites for the removal of various organic pollutants from water and their efficiency has been reported. As a result of their review the cerium-based metal oxides such as CdS/CeO₂, CeO₂/Y₂O₃, GQDs/CeO₂ and Ag/cellulose@CeO₂/QDs shows more degradation efficiency (above~95%) towards the organic pollutants when compared to other metal oxides.     

{111}晶面暴露对介孔金红石TiO2单晶光催化产氢的促进作用

光催化反应发生在半导体材料的表面,材料表面的原子/电子结构直接影响光催化剂的活性或选择性。因此,发展具有特定晶面的半导体光催化剂受到各国学者的普遍关注,被认为是调控光催化材料性能的有效途径之一。自2008年yang等首次合成高表面能{001}晶面占优的锐钛矿TiO2单晶以来,控制合成暴露不同晶面TiO2晶体的研究得到了迅猛的发展,已发展了多种方法合成了具有不同晶面的TiO2晶体。研究表明,选择性地暴露特定的活性晶面能够显著地提高光催化剂的活性或者改变光催化反应的选择性。但是,含有完整晶面构型的TiO2单晶样品的颗粒尺寸一般都较大,通常为几微米,因而显著增加了光生载流子传输与分离的难度,并且导致材料较小的比表面积,限制了对光催化活性的进一步提高。能否在合成含特定晶面单晶的同时增加多孔结构成为有效解决这一问题的关键。最近, Crossland等采用晶种模板法成功合成了介孔的锐钛矿TiO2单晶,并且通过光电器件研究证实了采用该思路可进一步提高材料的光电性能。金红石TiO2在光催化全分解水方面具有独特的优势,然而关于多孔单晶金红石TiO2的研究相对较少,尤其是合成热力学不稳定的高表面能{111}晶面完全暴露的多孔金红石单晶面临较大的技术挑战因而一直未见文献报道。本文利用晶种模板法,以TiCl4溶液为含Ti前驱体、NaF为形貌控制剂、采用水热处理制备出不同比例{111}晶面的介孔金红石单晶。我们前期工作表明, NaF可作为形貌控制剂合成低表面能{110)晶面占优的介孔金红石单晶。本文发现,通过改变NaF的添加量,可有效调变{111}/{110}晶面比例,最终合成完全暴露{111}高表面能的介孔金红石TiO2单晶。扫描电镜结果显示,当添加20 mg NaF时,合成{110}占优的具有高长径比的介孔晶体;当NaF用量增加到40 mg时{110}晶面进一步缩短;至80 mg时则制备出{111})高能面完全暴露的金红石TiO2晶体。值得注意的是,对比研究表明,不采用模板合成了与多孔晶体完全相对应的不同{111}/(110}晶面比例的实心金红石晶体。透射电镜及选区电子衍射以及结合X射线衍射进一步证实,多孔的金红石TiO2晶体与实心金红石单晶均都为单晶结构,孔结构贯穿于样品内部且具有较高的晶面结晶性。氮气吸附实验发现,虽然三个不同晶面比例介孔金红石单晶样品间的形貌具有显著的差异,但比表面积非常相近(分别为24,25,28 m2/g),孔径也都为50 nm左右,该值与所用SiO2模板球的直径以及TEM观察结果相一致。光催化产氢性能结果表明,选择性的暴露活性晶面显著提高了光催化活性,仅含高能面{111}的介孔金红石单晶样品具有最高的产氢速率(约800μmol h–1 g–1),比常规{110}晶面占优的介孔单晶样品速率提高了约一倍。尤其比实心单晶样品的产氢速率提高了至少一个数量级,这应归结于介孔结构特性所导致的表面反应活性位增加、电子传输距离缩短以及光吸收增强协同作用的结果。     

还原氧化石墨烯修饰Bi2WO6提高其在可见光下的光催化性能

通过两步水热法合成了一种新型的还原氧化石墨烯(RGO)修饰的Bi₂WO₆(Bi₂WO₆-RGO), 结果表明其在可见光下的光催化性能得到了显著的提高. 研究了RGO在Bi₂WO₆-RGO中的含量对其光催化性能的影响, 从而确定出RGO相对于Bi₂WO₆的最佳掺杂质量比值为1%. 通过扫描电镜(SEM)研究发现, RGO并没有改变Bi₂WO₆光催化剂的结构和形貌. Bi₂WO₆-RGO在可见光下的光催化性能得以提高可以归功于RGO. 其可能的机理是石墨烯的存在有利于光生载流子(激子)的分离, 从而导致产生更多的O₂^·-用于有机染料污染物(如罗丹明B (RhB))的降解. RhB分子在石墨烯上的有效吸附可能也是导致Bi₂WO₆-RGO光催化性能提高的另一原因.     

Recent advances in the applications of [1.1.1]propellane in organic synthesis

As a highly strained small molecule, [1.1.1]propellane has been widely used in various synthetic transformations owing to the exceptional reactivity of the central bond between the two bridgehead carbons. Utilizing strain-release approaches, the rapid development of strategies for the construction of bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane (BCP) and cyclobutane derivatives using [1.1.1]propellane as the starting material has been witnessed in the past few years. In this review, we highlight the most recent advances in this field. Accordingly, the reactivity of [1.1.1]propellane can be divided into three pathways, including radical, anionic and transition metal-catalyzed pathways under appropriate conditions.     

Recent advances in the improvement of g-C3N4 based photocatalytic materials

g-C₃N₄ have been widely used in the fields of photocatalytic hydrogen production,photocatalytic degradation of dyes and oxidative degradation of toxic gases due to their excellent performance.It has attracted extensive attention in recent years due to its highly efficient photocatalytic capacity of hydrogen generation,water oxidation,carbon dioxide reduction and degradation of organic pollutants.Because of the abundant carbon and nitrogen composition of the earth,large-scale production and industrial applications of this material are possible.The modification of this material makes its performance more excellent so that this new material can obtain a steady stream of vitality.These outstanding works have become important materials and milestones on the road to mankind's photocatalytic hydrogen production.This review will begin with the basic idea of designing,synthesizing and improving g-C₃N₄ based photocatalytic materials,and introduce the latest development of g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts in hydrogen production from four aspects of controlling the carbon/nitrogen ratio,morphology,element doping and heterojunction structure of g-C₃N₄ materials.     

三元磁性氮化碳复合光催化剂的制备和表征及其在可见光下去除四环素的应用

g-C3N4作为一种新型有机半导体材料,由于其良好的化学稳定性和可直接利用可见光等优点已经引起了人们的广泛关注,近年来已逐渐将其应用于光催化氧化环境污染物等方面.同时在实际应用中因其光能利用率低、难回收、电子-空穴易复合等缺点也受到了限制.研究发现将四氧化三铁与氮化碳相结合,可以有效提高复合催化剂的光催化活性,而且可回收再利用很大程度上降低成本.采用光催化氧化技术处理实际环境污染物废水时,将光催化剂投入到废水中后,环境及水体的温度往往会对催化剂的催化活性产生一定的影响,导致无法实现最佳的光催化处理效果.制备一种催化活性不受外界温度影响的智能光催化材料是当今面临的一项挑战.我们研究制备了一种具有温度响应的磁性复合光催化剂PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4,其可根据外界温度的不同而表现出不同的光催化活性.温敏型聚合物PNIPAM是一类结构、性能和形态随温度变化而做出响应的功能材料,将光催化材料与温敏型PNIPAM智能高分子材料相结合,实现了智能催化的效果.PNIPAM温敏聚合物在水溶液中存在一个低临界溶解温度,其可以作为开关,通过改变温度实现对光催化过程的控制,达到过程智能化的效果.随着温度的改变,温敏聚合物的溶解状态在临界点附近会发生变化.不同温度对催化速率影响很大,当温度升高到临界值以上,催化反应速率降低很多;当温度降低到临界值以下,催化活性随之升高.这样不仅随时控制反应的进行,还可以通过改变温度控制反应速率.同时,温敏聚合层又相当于一个保护层,可以增强其抗腐蚀能力,提高对内部光催化材料的保护,进而提高其稳定性.众所周知四环素等抗生素类药物生产废水,属于高浓度有机废水,具有一定的毒性,一般较难处理.我们将制备的PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4复合光催化材料用于四环素废水的处理取得了很好的效果.XRD,FT-IR、Raman等表征手段充分证明了我们所制备的三元复合材料PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4的组成及各个组分的存在.并对PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4复合光催化剂在不同温度(20和45°C)条件下处理四环素废水进行了系统的研究,从20和45℃的吸附曲线结果可以看出,低温时PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4的吸附性较强,高温时吸附较差.同时PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4低温时具有较高的催化活性,高温时催化活性较低.经过分析可知这种对温度响应的特殊性能与PNIPAM的亲水及疏水性密切相关.另外,通过对PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4复合材料的VSM测试及5次循环实验测试可以看出,PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4复合材料由于Fe3O4的引入而表现出较好的磁性,且在外加磁铁的作用下很容易实现分离回收.另外,PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4在经过5次重复利用后其催化活性几乎没有减退,说明催化剂具有很好的稳定性.另一方面,说明我们的复合光催化剂在工业废水等污染治理方面有一定的潜在应用价值.