Nanoporous NiO@SiO2 photo-catalyst prepared by ion-exchange method for fast elimination of reactive dyes from wastewater

Photo-catalytic elimination of organic contaminants plays a significant role in wastewater treatment. Developing a highly efficient photo-catalyst is one of the leading research topic. Herein, we reported the fabrication of a novel nanoporous NiO@SiO₂ photo-catalyst by a simple ion-exchange method to eliminate the reactive dyes. The synthesized NiO@SiO₂ catalyst exhibited fast photo-degradation and excellent adsorption capability and could efficiently remove Red FN-3GL dye from wastewater, due to a high loading of NiO and a large specific surface area, abundant electron-withdrawing groups, as well as narrow bandgap energy. In addition, the NiO@SiO₂ photo-catalyst also displayed a high capability to remove reactive dyes over a wide range of pH values (pH 3–9). The prominent adsorption and photo-degradation of dyes were strongly dependent on the surface charge of the catalyst and the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH^?) by the catalyst, respectively. Furthermore, the NiO@SiO₂ photo-catalyst also exhibited excellent recyclability, thus demonstrating the feasibility of practical applications in industries. The strategy of covering the metal oxide to nanoporous silica is a promising method for developing active photo-catalysts and applying them in the wastewater treatments.     

纳米Ag/TiO_(2)纳米管阵列基底构建及表面增强拉曼散射光谱检测与降解盐酸四环素北大核心CSCD

将阳极氧化与光还原法结合,在TiO_(2)纳米管阵列(TiO_(2)NTAs)表面修饰Ag纳米粒子,获得一种均匀有序、稳定性高且可循环的TiO_(2)NTAs/Ag活性基底。采用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、紫外可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)、表面增强拉曼散射光谱(SERS)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)等手段对TiO_(2)NTAs/Ag的组成和结构进行了表征。进一步研究了该TiO_(2)-NTAs/Ag阵列对盐酸四环素(TC-HCl)的SERS响应,结果表明,该复合基底对TC-HCl具有较高的检测灵敏度,在水中检测限可达1×10^(−14) mol/L,而TiO_(2)-NTAs与Ag之间的协同效应对其检测性能的提高起着关键作用。此外,TiO_(2)NTAs/Ag基底在光照下对TC-HCl展示了优异的降解活性,且至少可循环使用8次。表明该TiO_(2)NTAs/Ag基底在环境中有机污染物的SERS检测和降解领域具有潜在的应用前景。     

一种可用于光降解的纳米氧化锌油水分离网

通过低温水热法在钢丝网上生长六棱柱形的氧化锌纳米柱.包覆了氧化锌纳米柱的钢丝网具有水下超疏油的特殊浸润性,并可用于油水分离.滤网在室温常压下可对含有汽油、柴油和原油等油水混合物进行高效快速分离,分离效率可达98%以上.材料可以承受1.4 kPa的油层压力且可反复使用.由于氧化锌的光响应性强,滤网可快速降解水中的亚甲基蓝,2 h的降解率可达80%.包覆了氧化锌纳米柱的钢丝网具备同时进行油水分离和降解环境中污染物的能力,是一种新型多功能水处理材料.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of (Fe,N) co-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> powders and their photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation

(Fe, N) co-doped titanium dioxide powders have been prepared by a quick, low-temperature hydrothermal method using TiOSO₄, CO(NH₂)₂, Fe(NO₃)₃, and CN₃H₅ · HCl as starting materials. The synthesized powders were characterized by XRD, TEM, BET, XPS, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Experimental results show that the as-synthesized TiO₂ powders are present as the anatase phase and that the N and Fe ions have been doped into the TiO₂ lattice. The specific surface area of the powders is 167.8 m²/g by the BET method and the mean grain size is about 11 nm, calculated by Scherrer’s formula. UV–Vis absorption spectra show that the edge of the photon absorption has been red-shifted up to 605 nm. The doped titanium dioxide powders had excellent photocatalytic activity during the process of photo-degradation of formaldehyde and some TVOC gases under visible light irradiation.     

Photo-degradation of imidazolium ionic liquids

Degradation of imidazolium ionic liquid, [bmim⁺][TFSA⁻] and iodide solution of [bmim⁺][TFSA⁻] by UV-laser irradiation has been studied through ground-state absorption and transient absorption spectroscopy. We found that excited state [bmim⁺]* undergoes degradation efficiently.     

Multiple nano-TiO2 layers to prevent dye/nano-TiO2 from photodegradation under a UV-exposure environment

A device of multiple nano-TiO₂ layers was proposed and fabricated to prevent a dye/nano-TiO₂ region from serious photo-degradation. In this device, the top of the dye/TiO₂ region was designed to be coated using sol-gel nano-TiO₂ thin films to shield UV irradiation from the photo-degradation effect. The sol-gel TiO₂ was prepared in a low temperature (75 °C) and verified as nano-sized particles and an anatase crystalline structure. Different devices of the multi-layer samples fabricated using different compositions of nano-TiO₂ were produced and exposed for UV irradiation tests. Results show that the presence of the sol-gel TiO₂ films coated on top of the dye/TiO₂ region can significantly alleviate the dye photo-degradation under UV irradiation. This multi-layer device can effectively improve the photo-stability of the dye/TiO₂ region in a UV-exposure environment.     

Absorption and emission spectroscopic characterisation of 8-amino-riboflavin

The flavin dye 8-amino-8-demethyl-d-riboflavin (AF) in the solvents water, DMSO, methanol, and chloroform/DMSO was studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The first absorption band is red-shifted compared to riboflavin, and blue-shifted compared to roseoflavin (8-dimethylamino-8-demethyl-D-riboflavin). The fluorescence quantum yield of AF in the studied solvents varies between 20% and 50%. The fluorescence lifetimes were found to be in the 2–5 ns range. AF is well soluble in DMSO, weakly soluble in water and methanol, and practically insoluble in chloroform. The limited solubility causes AF aggregation, which was seen in differences between measured absorption spectra and fluorescence excitation spectra. Light scattering in the dye absorption region is discussed and approximate absorption cross-section spectra are determined from the combined measurement of transmission and fluorescence excitation spectra. The photo-stability of AF was studied by prolonged light exposure. The photo-degradation routes of AF are discussed.     

Monitoring cell culture media degradation using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy

The quality of the cell culture media used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing is a crucial factor affecting bioprocess performance and the quality of the final product. Due to their complex composition these media are inherently unstable, and significant compositional variations can occur particularly when in the prepared liquid state. For example photo-degradation of cell culture media can have adverse effects on cell viability and thus process performance. There is therefore, from quality control, quality assurance and process management view points, an urgent demand for the development of rapid and inexpensive tools for the stability monitoring of these complex mixtures. Spectroscopic methods, based on fluorescence or Raman measurements, have now become viable alternatives to more time-consuming and expensive (on a unit analysis cost) chromatographic and/or mass spectrometry based methods for routine analysis of media. Here we demonstrate the application of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy for the simple, fast, analysis of cell culture media degradation. Once stringent reproducibility controls are implemented, chemometric data analysis methods can then be used to rapidly monitor the compositional changes in chemically defined media. SERS shows clearly that even when media are stored at low temperature (2–8 °C) and in the dark, significant chemical changes occur, particularly with regard to cysteine/cystine concentration.     

Application of slow positrons to coating degradation

Photodegradation of a polyurethane-based topcoat induced by accelerated UV irradiation is studied using Doppler broadened energy spectra (DBES) and positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopies coupled with slow positron technique. Significant and similar variations of S-parameter and ortho-positronium intensity (I₃) in coatings are observed as functions of depth and of exposure time. The decrease of S is interpreted as a result of an increase of crosslink density and a reduction of free-volume and hole fraction during the degradation process.     

Influence of N sources on the photocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO2

Influence of nitrogen precursors urea, semicarbazide and N,N’-dimethyl urea on the photocatalytic activity of the N-doped TiO₂ were studied by a simple decomposition method. The nano N-TiO₂ catalysts were synthesized via two different modified approaches by calcination at 500 °C. The synthesized samples were characterized by IR, UV-DRS, Raman, TG-DTA, XRD, EDX, XPS, SEM, TEM and BET analysis. Of the synthesized six samples of N-TiO₂ five samples showed better photocatalytic activity towards direct sunlight photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) than Degussa P25. The catalysts obtained using semicarbazide samples F3 and F4 having large surface area of 76 and 85.8 m²/g displayed maximum photocatalytic activity. The sample F4 was 1.5 times more active than Degussa P25 for the decolourisation of MB and 1.9 times more active for the decolourisation of RhB. The presence of nitrogen, large surface area and coupling of rutile-anatase phases were found to be the main responsible factors for the enhanced photocatalytic activity. The exclusive formation of the anatase phase in the case of urea precursor is attributed to the slow evaporation of urea due to the formation of melamine derived products. The calcination temperature is the deciding factor responsible for the photocatalytic activity of the N-TiO₂ samples prepared from precursors which can potentially form the melamine and its oligomerized products on the surface of TiO₂.