A natural manganese ore as a heterogeneous catalyst to effectively activate peroxymonosulfate to oxidize organic pollutants

Heterogeneous transition metal catalysts are indispensable in improving environmental pollution. However, their fabrication is often costly and cumbersome, and they can easily pollute the environment. This study proposed using a natural Gabonese ore (GBO) containing Mn_xO_y and Fe_xO_y as catalysts to degrade orange II (OII) via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. The GBO + PMS system exhibited extraordinarily high stability and catalytic activity towards OII elimination (92.2%, 0.0453 min^?1). The reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in the system were identified using radical scavenging tests and electron spin-resonance (ESR) analysis. Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) represented the dominant reactive species for OII degradation, while the system presented a lower reaction energy barrier and was effective in a broad pH range (2–10). This work also proposed the activation mechanism for the GBO + PMS system and OII degradation pathways. This study revealed a new approach for exploring inexpensive, eco-friendly, efficient, and stable heterogeneous transition metal catalysts.     

Nanostructured Ni2P as a Robust Catalyst for the Hydrolytic Dehydrogenation of Ammonia–Borane

Ammonia–borane (AB) is a promising chemical hydrogen‐storage material. However, the development of real‐time, efficient, controllable, and safe methods for hydrogen release under mild conditions is a challenge in the large‐scale use of hydrogen as a long‐term solution for future energy security. A new class of low‐cost catalytic system is presented that uses nanostructured Ni₂P as catalyst, which exhibits excellent catalytic activity and high sustainability toward hydrolysis of ammonia–borane with the initial turnover frequency of 40.4 mol_(H2) mol_(Ni2P)^?1 min^?1 under air atmosphere and at ambient temperature. This value is higher than those reported for noble‐metal‐free catalysts, and the obtained Arrhenius activation energy (E_a=44.6 kJ mol^?1) for the hydrolysis reaction is comparable to Ru‐based bimetallic catalysts. A clearly mechanistic analysis of the hydrolytic reaction of AB based on experimental results and a density functional theory calculation is presented.     

Low temperature conversion of methane to syngas using lattice oxygen over NiO-MgO

The conversion of methane to syngas (H₂ and CO) is an important route to produce high value-added products. Oxidize methane into syngas in the absence of gaseous oxidants is an economical route. In this work, NiO-MgO composite is successfully synthesized via an impregnation method. At 764 K, methane is directly converted to syngas on the NiO-MgO without gaseous oxidants. A synergistic effect of NiO and MgO was observed, in which NiO induced lattice oxygen of MgO mobility to oxidize methane and suppressed the formation of intermediates for side reaction. As a result, NiO-MgO exhibited enhancement of catalytic activity with the H₂ production rate of 1241.0 µmol g^?1 min^?1, which was 3.4 times higher than that of pure MgO. This work provides a direct guidance to understand of methane oxidation via lattice oxygen under low temperature (< 773 K).     

Development of versatile CdMoO4/g-C3N4 nanocomposite for enhanced photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution reaction and photocatalytic dye degradation applications

Fabrication of an efficient, stable, and versatile photocatalysts for the energy and environment remediation applications is an urgent task for the current researchers. In this work, we have successfully synthesized a versatile hybrid photocatalysts, i.e.; CdMoO₄/g-C₃N₄ (CMO/CN) by a facile and simple one-pot in-situ hydrothermal method. Here CdMoO₄ (CMO) microspheres were deposited on the g-C₃N₄ (CN) sheets. Fabricated CN, CMO, and CMO/CN composite photocatalysts were analyzed with various characterization techniques like UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–Vis DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), time-resolved fluorescence lifetime (TRFL), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). The results reveal that the formation of a strong heterojunction between two semiconductors leads to the formation of active photocatalyst. Furthermore, as-synthesized materials were tested for the photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) oxygen evolution reactions (OERs) in acidic medium, and photocatalytic (PC) degradation of methylene blue (MB) under light irradiation. Among all tested samples, CMO/CN-10 has shown the highest current density 52.74 mA cm^?2 at 1.95 V with lowest over potential of 0.70 mV on glassy carbon electrode for OER in acidic medium under the light irradiation. The PC degradation rate constant of CMO/CN-10 composite in MB solution is k = 2.0 × 10^?2 min^?1, whereas for the pure CMO and CN degradation rate constant is k = 5.7 × 10^?3 min^?1 and k = 1.2 × 10^?2 min^?1, respectively. This enhancement in PEC and PC properties is due to the fast migration of photo-induced electrons in the case of CMO/CN-10 nanocomposite. Trapping experiment results reveal the major reactive species for PC degradation of MB is ?OH (hydroxyl radicals) and h⁺ (holes), respectively, and suitable PC reaction mechanism also proposed for CMO/CN-10 composites. Based on the above remarkable results, it would be a potential nanocomposite for the PEC oxygen evolution and PC degradation of MB under light illumination.     

Multidisciplinary green approaches (ultrasonic,co-precipitation,hydrothermal, and microwave) for fabrication and characterization of Erbium-promoted Ni-Al2O3 catalyst for CO2 methanation

The dispersion of nickel catalysts is crucial for the catalytic ability of CO₂ methanation, which can be influenced by the fabrication method and the operation process of the catalysts. Therefore, a series of fabrication methods, including ultrasonic, hydrothermal, microwave, and co-precipitation, have been applied to prepare 25Ni-5Er-Al₂O₃ catalysts. The fabrication method can partially influence the structural and catalytic activity of the nickel aluminate catalysts. Among the catalysts modified by Erbium prepared with various methods, the catalyst fabricated by ultrasonic pathway exhibited better catalytic performance and CH₄ selectivity especially, at a temperature (400 ℃). The impact of the temperature of the reaction (200–500 °C) was examined under a stoichiometric precursor ratio of (H₂:CO₂) = 4: 1, atmospheric pressure, and space velocity (GHSV) of 25000 mL/gcath. The results demonstrate that the ultrasonic method is strongly efficient for fabricating Ni-based catalysts with a high BET surface area of about 190.33 m²g^?1. The catalyst composed via the ultrasonic technique has 69.38 % carbon dioxide conversion and 100 % methane selectivity at 400 °C for excellent catalytic performance in CO₂ methanation reactions. The fabrication effect can be associated with its high surface area, which is achieved via the hot spot mechanism. Besides, the addition of Erbium promotes the Ni dispersion on the supports and stimulates the positive reaction because of the erbium oxygen vacancies.     

Performances catalytiques de faujasites Y échangées par des cations de Ce3+, La3+, UO22+, Co2+, Sr2+, Pb2+, Tl+ et NH4+ dans la réaction de dismutation du toluène

The catalytic performance of exchanged Y faujasites by Ce³⁺, La³⁺, UO₂²⁺, Co²⁺, Sr²⁺, Pb²⁺, Tl⁺ and NH₄⁺ ions were studied in a disproportionation reaction in the gaseous phase. It was shown that total acidity generated by exchanged ions is responsible of the catalytic activity. Rare earths (cerium, lanthanum and uranium) catalysts have appreciable performance and allowed one to obtain an important xylenes proportion at 400 to 450 °C. The decrease of xylenes and trimethylbenzenes proportion in studied catalysts shows the implication of xylenes in toluene disproportionation reaction.     

Insights into the Relationship of Catalytic Activity and Structure: A Comparison Study of Three Carbonic Anhydrase Mimics

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to study the mechanism of CO₂ hydrolysis by Zn‐(1,5,9‐triazacyclododecane) and Zn‐cyclam and evaluate the associated thermodynamic and kinetic parameters. Microkinetic models were then built based on the kinetics and thermodynamics derived from first principles. Both catalysts showed very similar behavior to Zn‐cyclen, which we have reported previously, but with multiple distinctions. The intrinsic reaction rate constants for Zn‐(1,5,9‐triazacyclododecane) and Zn‐cyclam were calculated to be 2693 and 4623 M^?1 s^?1, respectively, which is in reasonable agreement with experimental values reported or estimated. The CO₂ adsorption step was found to be a rate‐limiting step for all three catalysts. Zn‐cyclam has the lowest barrier for this step due to the highest pK_a or nucleophilicity of the Zn‐OH^? form, and_, therefore, the highest intrinsic activity. However, the observed reaction rate constant also depends on the availability of the catalyst. The decrease in the observed reaction rate constant over 0–12 ms was ascribed to the decrease in the concentration of the catalytic form, Zn‐OH^?, which was primarily converted to Zn‐HCO₃^?. The reaction rate constant of Zn‐cyclam dropped much faster than those of Zn‐cyclen and Zn‐(1,5,9‐triazacyclododecane) due to lower energy of the Zn‐HCO₃^? form. The conversion of CO₂ at 1000 ms as a function of pH was calculated to compare the relative activity of these catalysts, and Zn‐cyclen was found to be the best catalyst.     

Silver-Cobalt bimetallic nanoparticles to the generation of hydrogen from formic acid decomposition

The fabrication of cost effective heterogeneous catalysts for the release of hydrogen from hydrogen storage materials is the key technological challenge to the fuel-cell based hydrogen economy. Ag-Co bimetallic NPs were fabricated by using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and sodium borohydride as stabilizing and reducing agents, respectively. Catalytic activity of SDS-Ag-Co was higher than that of SDS free Ag-Co and monometallic (Ag and Co) due to the electron interactions and synergistic effect between the Ag and Co. Ag₁₀-Co₉₀ exhibited the superior catalytic activity, with rate constant of 5.2 × 10^?4 s^?1 at 303 K, activation energy of 46 kJ/mol, activation enthalpy of 44 kJ/mol, activation entropy of ?165 J/K/mol, and turn over frequency of 240 h^?1. The hydrogen generation rate increased and decreased with in increasing temperature, molar concentration of formic acid, presence of sodium formate, and pH, respectively. The kinetic rate equation can be stated as: rate = -d[formic acid]/dt = k_obs[formic acid]^0.99[Ag₅₀Co₅₀]^0.98, k_obs = 2.48 × 10⁷ exp (?5637.96/RT).     

NiCo<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/rGO hybrid nanostructures for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

We report the synthesis of NiCo₂O₄/reduced graphene oxide (NiCo₂O₄/rGO) hybrid hierarchical structures with unique nanonet and microsphere morphologies by organic polar solvent-assisted solvothermal method. The electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of these materials is studied by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods in O₂-saturated 0.1 M KOH solution. The NiCo₂O₄/rGO hybrid nanocomposite materials are found to be highly active electrocatalysts for OER at lower overpotentials. The nanonet and microsphere-like NiCo₂O₄/rGO catalysts require overpotentials of 0.450 and 0.530 V at a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, and their corresponding Tafel slopes are 53 and 62 mV dec^?1, which are much lower than values reported for non-precious electrocatalysts. Further, both NiCo₂O₄/rGO catalysts show good catalytic stability with current retention more than 92 % over long period of 15,000 s determined by chronoampirometry and at the end of 1000th cycle determined by linear sweep voltammetry. The enhanced OER activity of nanostructured NiCo₂O₄/rGO hybrid catalysts is attributed to synergistic interaction between rGO and NiCo₂O₄, which seems to be essential for maintaining the large contact area at the electrode-electrolyte interface, better mass, and charge transport and to minimize the aggregation of NiCo₂O₄ nanoparticles.     

Ag@ Fe-TiO2 catalysts for catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde indoor: a further improvement of Fe-TiO2

In this paper, a series of Fe-doped TiO₂ (Fe-TiO₂) catalysts were prepared by ultrasonic hydrothermal method and were used to catalytic oxidation formaldehyde (HCHO) indoor at room temperature. Although the catalytic activity was improved compared with P25, but the final concentration of HCHO was still higher than the Chinese standard (GB 0.08 mg/m³), and the stability was restrict under room temperature. In order to improve the catalytic activity and stability of the catalysts, various concentrations of Ag were loaded on Fe-TiO₂, and good catalytic oxidation effect was obtained and had a good repeat catalytic effect under room condition. UV–Vis, IR, PL, XRD, SEM, BET, XPS were used to characterize the materials. The results showed that the higher dispersion of active Ag, and the synergistic effect between Ag, Fe and TiO₂ nanostructure were helpful to improve the catalytic oxidation ability of Ag@Fe-TiO₂. In the repeat experiments, 0.6%Ag@0.3%Fe-TiO₂ exhibited good catalytic activity and stability. The formaldehyde concentration was reduced to 0.05 mg/m³, after four rounds of tests, the formaldehyde concentration was still below 0.08 mg/m³, applying for long time indoor HCHO degradation at room temperature. Indicating the modification of Ag element can further promote the catalytic activity and stability of Fe-TiO₂.

     

Effect of inorganic oxide supports on the activity of chromium‐based catalysts in ethylene trimerization

Novel heterogeneous catalysts were prepared using immobilization of bis(2‐decylsulfanylethyl)amine–CrCl₃ (Cr‐SNS‐D) on various supports, namely commercial TiO₂, Al₂O₃ and magnetic Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanoparticles, to yield solid catalysts denoted as support@Cr‐SNS‐D. The structure of the catalysts was confirmed on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, N₂ adsorption–desorption and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis. The surface areas of Al₂O₃@Cr‐SNS‐D, Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@Cr‐SNS‐D and TiO₂@Cr‐SNS‐D catalysts were determined to be 70, 23 and 41 m² g^?1, respectively. A decrease in surface area from that of the supports clearly establishes accurate immobilization of Cr‐SNS‐D catalyst on the surface of the parent carriers. The loading of Cr was determined to be 0.02, 0.16 and 0.11 mmol g^?1 for Cr‐SNS‐D supported on TiO₂, Al₂O₃ and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂, respectively, using ICP analysis. After preparation and full characterization of the catalysts, ethylene trimerization reaction was accomplished in 40 ml of dry toluene, at 80°C and 25 bar ethylene pressure and in the presence of methylaluminoxane (Al/Cr = 700) within 30 min. The supported chromium catalysts were found to be efficient and selective for the ethylene trimerization reaction. The highest activity (74 650 g_1‐hexene g_Cr^?1 h^?1), as well as no polyethylene formation during reaction processes, was observed when TiO₂ was used as the catalyst support.     

Defect‐Rich Co−CoOx‐Graphene Nanocatalysts for Efficient Hydrogen Production from Ammonia Borane

Chemical hydrogen storage ammonia borane has attracted extensive attention as a method of efficient utilization of hydrogen energy. The high‐efficiency catalysts are the main factor restricting the hydrogen production of ammonia borane. In this paper, the synergistic effect of Co and CoO_x supported on graphene (named Co?CoO_x@GO‐II) promotes the efficient hydrogen production of ammonia borane, and its catalytic hydrogen production rate can reach 5813 mL min^?1 g_Co^?1 at 298 K, the corresponding TOF is 15.33 min^?1. After five stability tests, Co?CoO_x @GO‐II maintained 65% of its original catalytic performance. The synergy of metal and metal oxide and the defects in the atomic arrangement ensure the catalytic activity, the large specific surface area of graphene ensures the dispersion and fixation. This strategy may provide a possibility to design high‐performance transition metal catalysts.     

One-Pot Synthesis of Heterobimetallic Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Multifunctional Catalysis

A one-pot synthesis of bimetallic metal–organic frameworks (Co/Fe-MOFs) was achieved by treating stoichiometric amounts of Fe and Co salts with 2-aminoterephthalic acid (NH₂-BDC). Monometallic Fe (catalyst A) and Co (catalyst F) were also prepared along with mixed-metal Fe/Co catalysts (B–E) by changing the Fe/Co ratio. For mixed-metal catalysts (B–E) SEM energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis confirmed the incorporation of both Fe and Co in the catalysts. However, a spindle-shaped morphology, typically known for the Fe-MIL-88B structure and confirmed by PXRD analysis, was only observed for catalysts A–D. To test the catalytic potential of mixed-metal MOFs, reduction of nitroarenes was selected as a benchmark reaction. Incorporation of Co enhanced the activity of the catalysts compared with the parent NH₂-BDC-Fe catalyst. These MOFs were also tested as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the best activity was exhibited by mixed-metal Fe/Co-MOF (Fe/Co batch ratio=1). The catalyst provided a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² at 410 mV overpotential, which is comparable to the benchmark OER catalyst (i.e., RuO₂). Moreover, it showed long-term stability in 1 m KOH. In a third catalytic test, dehydrogenation of sodium borohydride showed high activity (turnover frequency=87 min⁻¹) and hydrogen generation rate (67 L min⁻¹ g⁻¹ catalyst). This is the first example of the synthesis of bimetallic MOFs as multifunctional catalysts particularly for catalytic reduction of nitroarenes and dehydrogenation reactions.     

Plasma-modified iron-doped Ni3S2 nanosheet arrays as efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

The development of efficient transition-metal catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction is significant to meeting global energy demands. In this study, to realize a high-performance electrocatalyst, we synthesize an Fe-doped Ni₃S₂ nanosheet material in situ on 3D structured nickel foam via the hydrothermal sulfide method, and then modify it by the dielectric barrier discharge plasma technique. Combining Fe atom doping and plasma modification increases the electrochemical surface area, provides an abundance of active sites, optimizes the electronic structure, and accelerates the reaction kinetics, thereby improving catalytic activity. As a result, the PA@Fe_1/4-Ni₃S₂/NF catalyst exhibits excellent hydrogen evolution reaction activity, only requires ultra-low overpotentials to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, and exhibits excellent durability. This study proposes a novel method for rationally designing non-noble metal electrocatalysts.     

原位生成非晶纳米钴高效催化氨硼烷的醇解制氢

用金属钴配合物和过渡金属(Cu,Ni,Co等)原位生成的非晶纳米粒子作为均相、多相催化剂,研究氨硼烷的醇解放氢反应,结果发现原位生成的非晶钴纳米粒子展现出优异的产氢性能。通过10次的催化循环测试,钴纳米粒子放氢催化转换数(TON)可达6 000,最高催化产氢速率(TOF)达515 mol_(H_2)·mol_(metal)~(-1)·h~(-1)。该催化剂制备方便,且产氢稳定性好。此外,对钴纳米粒子催化氨硼烷放氢实验做动力学研究,计算其催化活化能为20.00 kJ·mol~(-1),低于大多数已经报道的其他纳米催化剂催化氨硼烷放氢反应的活化能。通过硼谱的跟踪检测,发现钴纳米催化氨硼烷的醇解反应产物是硼酸三甲酯,并对此催化反应机理进行了初步的解释和讨论。     

Ruthenium-modified porous NiCo2O4 nanosheets boost overall water splitting in alkaline solution

Exploring efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts is crucial for developing water splitting devices. The composition and structure of catalysts are of great importance for catalytic performance. In this work, a heterogeneous Ru modified strategy is engineered to improve the catalytic performance of porous NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets (NSs). Profiting from favorable elements composition and optimized structure property of decreased charge transfer barrier, more accessible active sites and increased oxygen vacancy concentration, the Ru-NiCo₂O₄ NSs exhibits excellent OER activity with a low overpotential of 230 mV to reach the current density of 10 mA/cm² and decent durability. Furthermore, Ru-NiCo₂O₄ NSs show superior HER activity than the pristine NiCo₂O₄ NSs, as well. When assembling Ru-NiCo₂O₄ NSs couple as an alkaline water electrolyzer, a cell voltage of 1.60 V can deliver the current density of 10 mA/cm². This work provides feasible guidance for improving the catalytic performance of spinel-based oxides.     

Plant‐supported silver nanoparticles: Efficient,economically viable and easily recoverable catalyst for the reduction of organic pollutants

Ginger rhizome powder was used for the synthesis of supported metallic nanoparticle catalysts. A simple and novel adsorption method was used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles loaded on ginger powder (Ag/GP), copper on ginger powder (Cu/GP) and nickel on ginger powder (Ni/GP). Among these, Ag/GP showed selective reduction of methyl orange and was used for further reactions. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized through X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. The prepared Ag/GP catalyst was employed in the catalytic reduction of 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP), 2‐nitrophenol (2‐NP), rhodamine B, methyl red and congo red. Ag/GP showed excellent catalytic reduction activity, the rate constants being 1.26 × 10^?3 and 2.38 × 10^?3 s^?1 for 2‐NP and 4‐NP, respectively. The turnover frequency reached 1.06 min^?1 for 2‐NP and 1.16 min^?1 for 4‐NP when using the Ag/GP catalyst. The prepared Ag/GP catalyst demonstrated outstanding activity for the degradation of a mixed solution of dyes. Also, stability and reusability of the prepared catalyst were investigated, which showed outstanding reusability up to five times and was stable up to five days.     

Axial base‐controlled catalytic activity,oxidative stability and product selectivity of water‐insoluble manganese and iron porphyrins for oxidation of styrenes in water under green conditions

A series of water‐insoluble iron(III) and manganese(III) porphyrins, FeT(2‐CH₃)PPCl, FeT(4‐OCH₃)PPCl, FeT(2‐Cl)PPCl, FeTPPCl, MnT(2‐CH₃)PPOAc, MnT(4‐OCH₃)PPOAc, MnT(2‐Cl)PPOAc and MnTPPOAc, in the presence of imidazole (ImH), F^?, Cl^?, Br^? and acetate were used as catalysts for the aqueous‐phase heterogeneous oxidation of styrenes to the corresponding epoxides and aldehydes with sodium periodate. Also, the effect of various reaction parameters such as reaction time, molar ratio of catalyst to axial base, type of axial base, molar ratio of olefin to oxidant and nature of metal centre on the activity and oxidative stability of the catalysts and the product selectivity was investigated. Higher catalytic activities were found for the iron complexes. Interestingly, the selectivity towards the formation of epoxide and aldehyde (or acetophenone) was significantly influenced by the type of axial base. Furthermore, Br^? and ImH were found to be the most efficient co‐catalysts for the oxidation of olefins performed in the presence of the manganese and iron porphyrins, respectively. The optimized molar ratio of catalyst to axial base was different for various axial bases. Also, the order of co‐catalyst activity of the axial bases obtained in aqueous medium was different from that reported for organic solvents. The use of a convenient axial base under optimum reaction catalyst to co‐catalyst molar ratio in the presence of the manganese porphyrin gave the oxidative products with a conversion of ca 100% in a reaction time of less than 3 h. However, the catalytic activity of the iron porphyrins could not be effectively improved by increasing the catalyst to co‐catalyst molar ratio.     

Utilisation de matériaux à base d’argiles modifiées dans la conversion du toluène

Clay materials, montmorillonite from Maghniya deposits (Algeria), were used as an acidic catalyst in toluene conversion. Toluene disproportionation reaction in gaseous phase was used. These clays were modified by ion exchange with uranyl ions UO₂²⁺. The surface acidity of catalysts was determined by the stepwise desorption technique (STD) of probe molecules using butylamine and ammonia. Thus, total acidity and distribution of the acidity strength were determined. The results show that materials presented an appreciable total acidity and catalytic activity in studied reaction. The acidity strength of catalysts due to UO₂²⁺ ions was kept at a temperature of 550 °C. A relationship was found between the catalytic activity and acidity strength generated by the introduction of uranyl ions in the clay structure.     

Effective synthesis of nanoscale anatase TiO2 single crystals using activated carbon template to enhance the photodegradation of crystal violet

Nanoscale anatase TiO₂ single crystals were successfully synthesized using three kinds of activated carbon (AC) templates through a simple sol–gel method. The optimal photocatalyst (T‐WOAC) was obtained using wood‐based AC template. X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analyses revealed that T‐WOAC possessed a small crystallite size of 8.7 nm and a clear mesoporous structure. The photocatalytic properties of samples were then evaluated through photodegradation of crystal violet (CV). Results implied that the photocatalysts prepared using the AC templates exhibited superior photocatalytic activity to that of the original TiO₂. This enhancement may be due to the small crystallite size, large specific surface area and pore volume of the catalysts prepared with ACs. T‐WOAC showed high photocatalytic activity, CV degradation of 99.01% after 120 min of irradiation and k = 0.03914 min^?1, which is 3.9 times higher than that of the original TiO₂ (k = 0.00994 min^?1). This result can be mainly attributed to the application of WOAC with moderate specific surface area and pore volume to produce T‐WOAC. Alkaline conditions benefitted the photodegradation of CV over photocatalysts. This work proposes a possible degradation mechanism of CV and indicates that the fabricated photocatalysts can be used to effectively remove CV from aqueous solutions.