Phase-selectivity photocatalysis: a new approach in organic pollutants' photodecomposition by nanovoid core(TiO2)/shell(SiO2) nanoparticles

Core(TiO(2))/shell(SiO(2)) nanoparticles, with a void layer between the TiO(2) core and the silica layer, act as phase-selectivity photocatalysts for the photodecomposition of organic pollutants (gas phase) without any damage to their organic supports (solid phase).     

Fabrication and characterization of core/shell structured TiO2/polyaniline nanocomposite

A novel core/shell structured TiO(2)/polyaniline nanocomposite was fabricated by grafting aniline on aminobenzoate monolayer that is chemically adsorbed on the TiO(2) nanocrystal surface. The formation and nanostructure of the nanocomposite were investigated by FT-IR and UV-Vis spectra, TEM, FE-SEM, and TG-DTA analysis. Adsorption of aminobenzoate on the TiO(2) surface is an effective method to obtain the uniform nanocomposite. The thickness of polyaniline layer coating on the TiO(2) nanocrystal surface can be controlled in a range of 2-5 nm by this method. A photoelectrochemical study was carried out on the TiO(2)/polyaniline nanocomposite, and found that polyaniline in the nanocomposite acted as a visible-light sensitizer in a photoelectrochemical reaction. The sensitization effect increased with increasing binding strength between polyaniline and TiO(2). A dye-sensitized solar cell with a short circuit current density of 0.19 mA/cm(2) and an open circuit voltage of 0.35 V was fabricated by using the TiO(2)/polyaniline nanocomposite film as a sensitized electrode.     

Dual Pd and CuFe2O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in a core/shell silica microsphere for selective hydrogenation of arylacetylenes

A dual catalyst containing Pd and CuFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles in a silica shell exhibits >98% conversion of arylacetylenes to related styrenes with selectivity greater than 98%, which are better than those obtained using a commercial Lindlar catalyst. The excellent synergy was likely a result of the proximal interaction between Pd and CuFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles.     

Aerosol-assisted self-assembly of single-crystal core/nanoporous shell particles as model controlled release capsules

Single-crystal NaCl core/nanoporous shell particles have been synthesized by evaporation-induced self-assembly. By variation of the hydrophobicity of the mesoporous shell, we can control the release rates by over 4 orders of magnitude.     

Mesoporous Au/TiO2 nanocomposite microspheres for visible-light photocatalysis

Mesoporous Au/TiO(2) nanocomposite microspheres have been synthesized by using a microemulsion-based bottom-up self-assembly (EBS) process starting from monodisperse gold and titania nanocrystals as building blocks. The microspheres had large surface areas (above 270 m(2) g(-1)) and open mesopores (about 5 nm), which led to the adsorption-driven concentration of organic molecules in the vicinity of the microspheres. Au nanoparticles, which were stably confined within the microspheres, enhanced the absorption over the broad UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopic range, owing to their strong surface plasmon resonance (SPR); as a result, the Au nanoparticles promoted the visible-light photo-induced degradation of organic compounds.     

Ag(core)-AgCl(shell) standard microelectrode-loaded TiO2

Micrometer-sized Ag(core)-AgCl(shell) composite crystals have been formed on TiO2 thin films by a two-st epelectrochemical method to provide information on the thermodynamic condition for efficient photoinduced interfacial electron transfer.     

TiO2光催化降解胸腺嘧啶的动力学和机理

考察了用于降解来自嘧啶家族的一种核酸—胸腺嘧啶(C5H6N2O2)的高级氧化过程。结果发现,在光催化剂TiO2作用下,胸腺嘧啶的光降解进行得很快,且在紫外光照射和水溶液中时更为明显。研究了胸腺嘧啶在TiO2催化剂上的吸附、降解动力学、以及pH值对光催化降解胸腺嘧啶性能的影响。另外,考察了胸腺嘧啶降解产物的矿化;比较和讨论了在光催化过程中胸腺嘧啶的消失和矿化速率。同时还研究了氮的矿化,确立了中间产物的识别方法。最后,采用电子密度计算提出了在紫外光照射下TiO2催化剂上胸腺嘧啶降解的可能化学途径。     

多酸/二氧化钛复合光催化剂的制备及光催化苯胺的研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法,将Keggin结构的饱和磷钨酸、硅钨酸复合到二氧化钛薄膜中,合成出POM/TiO2复合光催化剂.红外光谱表明在复合膜中,多酸仍保持其基本结构不变.详细考察了催化剂种类、催化剂用量和反应体系等因素对苯胺的光催化降解反应的影响.     

The photocatalysis and mechanism of new SrTiO3/TiO2

The SrTiO₃/TiO₂ was obtained via hydrothermal and sol–gel method and the optimal proportion (5wt %) was confirmed. The compounds have been characterized by XRD, UV–vis DRS, TEM and XPS. The photocatalytic degradation toward gas-phase benzene is almost 40% under UV irradiation, much better than pure TiO₂ and SrTiO₃. Besides, the SrTiO₃/TiO₂ also possessed outstanding performance toward methyl orange in liquid-phase testing. Finally, the electro-chemistry and electron spin-resonance spectroscopy (ESR) provided evidence that the improved photocatalysis is attributed to (1) the matching energy band which can transfer charge carriers efficiently and (2) enhanced generation of photo-electron and free radicals.     

TiO2 photocatalysis: Design and applications

TiO₂ photocatalysis is widely used in a variety of applications and products in the environmental and energy fields, including self-cleaning surfaces, air and water purification systems, sterilization, hydrogen evolution, and photoelectrochemical conversion. The development of new materials, however, is strongly required to provide enhanced performances with respect to the photocatalytic properties and to find new uses for TiO₂ photocatalysis. In this review, recent developments in the area of TiO₂ photocatalysis research, in terms of new materials from a structural design perspective, have been summarized. The dimensionality associated with the structure of a TiO₂ material can affect its properties and functions, including its photocatalytic performance, and also more specifically its surface area, adsorption, reflectance, adhesion, and carrier transportation properties. We provide a brief introduction to the current situation in TiO₂ photocatalysis, and describe structurally controlled TiO₂ photocatalysts which can be classified into zero-, one-, two-, and three-dimensional structures. Furthermore, novel applications of TiO₂ surfaces for the fabrication of wettability patterns and for printing are discussed.     

Internal structure of nanoporous TiO2/polyion thin films prepared by layer-by-layer deposition

The internal structure of porous TiO2 films prepared by electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition was investigated. The films were prepared by alternate dipping of solid substrates into dispersions of TiO2 nanoparticles and polycations, polyanions, or pure buffer solution, respectively. The surface charge of the amphoteric TiO2 particles was controlled by the pH of the aqueous dispersions. The morphology of the film surface was investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the surface roughness strongly depends on the polymeric material used for the deposition process but is independent of the ionic strength of the solution or the molecular weight of the polyions. The samples with rough surfaces feature strong light scattering. The porosity and internal structure of the TiO2/polyelectrolyte films were investigated by adsorption/desorption of dye molecules. A crude estimate yields an internal surface that is up to 160 times the plane surface of the substrate for a film thickness of 1 microm. The composition of the films was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Detection of the XPS signal after each deposition step of the first three dipping cycles shows a significant increase of the relative surface coverage of Ti after the TiO2 deposition step and of PSS after the PSS deposition step. For later dipping cycles, such an increase was also detectable but less prominent.     

多相/均相TiO2/N-羟酰亚胺混合体系中可见光诱导分子氧可控光催化氧化苄基反应

均相催化和多相催化通常被认为是独立甚至相互对立的学科.本文提出了一种新型的用于分子氧选择性氧化烷基苯的杂多酸/均相混合催化体系.该催化体系由N-羟基邻苯二甲酰亚胺(NHPI,用于自由基链式反应的均相有机催化剂)和纳米TiO2(多相紫外光活性光氧化催化剂)两种组分组成.NHPI与TiO2的协同作用使光氧化活性从紫外光转移到可见光,并产生邻苯二甲酰亚胺-N-氧基(PINO)自由基.NHPI/PINO催化的自由基链式反应能够在没有额外光输入的情况下进行,从而从根本上提高能源效率.通过控制NHPI/TiO2比率优化产物选择性,进而使烷基芳烃优先形成过氧化氢或酮.     

Charging/discharging of Au (core)/silica (shell) nanoparticles as revealed by XPS

By recording XPS spectra while applying external voltage stress to the sample rod, we can control the extent of charging developed on core-shell-type gold nanoparticles deposited on a copper substrate, in both steady-state and time-resolved fashions. The charging manifests itself as a shift in the measured binding energy of the corresponding XPS peak. Whereas the bare gold nanoparticles exhibit no measurable binding energy shift in the Au 4f peaks, both the Au 4f and the Si 2p peaks exhibit significant and highly correlated (in time and magnitude) shifts in the case of gold (core)/silica (shell) nanoparticles. Using the shift in the Au 4f peaks, the capacitance of the 15-nm gold (core)/6-nm silica (shell) nanoparticle/nanocapacitor is estimated as 60 aF. It is further estimated that, in the fully charged situation, only 1 in 1000 silicon dioxide units in the shell carries a positive charge during our XPS analysis. Our simple method of controlling the charging, by application of an external voltage stress during XPS analysis, enables us to detect, locate, and quantify the charges developed on surface structures in a completely noncontact fashion.     

Double-layer coating of SrCO3/TiO2 on nanoporous TiO2 for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

Surface modification plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), but the reported surface treatments are in general superior to the untreated TiO(2) but inferior to the typical TiCl(4)-treated TiO(2) in terms of solar cell performance. This work demonstrates a two-step treatment of the nanoporous titania surface with strontium acetate [Sr(OAc)(2)] and TiCl(4) in order, each step followed by sintering. An electronically insulating layer of SrCO(3) is formed on the TiO(2) surface via the Sr(OAc)(2) treatment and then a fresh TiO(2) layer is deposited on top of the SrCO(3) layer via the TiCl(4) treatment, corresponding to a double layer of Sr(OAc)(2)/TiO(2) coated on the TiO(2) surface. As compared to the typical TiCl(4)-treated DSSC, the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treated DSSC improves short-circuit photocurrent (J(sc)) by 17%, open-circuit photovoltage (V(oc)) by 2%, and power conversion efficiency by 20%. These results indicate that the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treatment is better than the often used TiCl(4) treatment for fabrication of efficient DSSCs. Charge density at open circuit and controlled intensity modulated photocurrent/photovoltage spectroscopy reveal that the two electrodes show almost same conduction band level but different electron diffusion coefficient and charge recombination rate constant. Owing to the blocking effect of the SrCO(3) layer on electron recombination with I(3)(-) ions, the charge recombination rate constant of the Sr(OAc)(2)-TiCl(4) treated DSSC is half that of the TiCl(4)-treated DSSC, accounting well for the difference of their V(oc). The improved J(sc) is also attributed to the middle SrCO(3) layer, which increases dye adsorption and may improve charge separation efficiency due to the blocking effect of SrCO(3) on charge recombination.     

Selenium-modified TiO2 and its impact on photocatalysis

This work describes the preparation of a selenium-modified TiO(2) photocatalyst and a preliminary evaluation of its photocatalytic activity. Se-TiO(2) displayed greater visible absorption than undoped TiO(2) and was still capable of degrading quinoline at a slightly faster rate than undoped TiO(2) under UV light. Se-TiO(2) was also able to degrade organic molecules under purely visible light by a single electron transfer pathway. Irradiation with >435 nm light showed no evidence of efficient production of HO?-like species. Se-TiO(2) was also examined under hypoxic conditions, where the Se atoms were capable of trapping photogenerated electrons as evidenced by XPS.     

Facile synthesis of silver core - silica shell composite nanoparticles

Combining metal nanoparticles and dielectrics (e.g. silica) to produce composite materials with high dielectric constant is motivated by application in energy storage. Control over dielectric properties and their uniformity throughout the composite material is best accomplished if the composite is comprised of metal core - dielectric shell structured nanoparticles with tunable dimensions. We have synthesized silver nanoparticles in the range of 40-100nm average size using low concentration of saccharide simultaneously as the reducing agent and electrostatic stabilizer. Coating these silver particles with silica from tetraalkoxysilanes has different outcomes depending on the alcoholic solvent and the silver particle concentration. A common issue in solution-based synthesis of core-shell particles is heterogeneous nucleation whereupon two populations are formed: the desired core-shell particles and undesired coreless particles of the shell material. We report the formation of Ag@SiO(2) core-shell particles without coreless silica particles as the byproduct in 2-propanol. In ethanol, it depends on the silver surface area available whether homogeneous nucleation of silica on silver is achieved. In methanol and 1-butanol, core-shell particles did not form. This demonstrates the significance of controlling the tetraalkoxysilane hydrolysis rate when growing silica shells on silver nanoparticles.     

Role of core diameter and silica content in photocatalytic activity of TiO2/SiO2/Fe3O4 composite

Magnetically separable TiO₂/SiO₂/Fe₃O₄ composites of different core (Fe₃O₄) diameters and silica contents have been prepared by sol–gel technique for both silica and titania coatings. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), BET surface area analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM) have been used for characterization of prepared samples. Photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples has been investigated by photodegradation of methyl orange. Obtained results have shown that 25–45 μm core diameter exhibits the maximum activity since it possesses a convenient surface area and light transmittance. Silica content has a significant effect on the activity of composite. Silica content of more than 10 wt% has reduced the catalyst activity because of the increase in particle diameter and reduction of surface area.