Water reduction and oxidation on Pt-Ru/Y2Ta2O5N2 catalyst under visible light irradiation

Y(2)Ta(2)O(5)N(2) is presented as a novel photocatalyst with high activity for water splitting under visible-light irradiation in the presence of appropriate sacrificial reagents; the activity for reduction to H(2) is increased by the incorporation of Pt or Ru as a co-catalyst, with a significant increase in production efficiency when both Pt and Ru are present.     

Flower-like Au/Ag/TiO_2 nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic efficiency under visible light irradiation

Uniform flower-like TiO_2 coated Au nanostars and core-shell Au@Ag natiostars with different amounts of Ag coating were prepared through a facile method by hydrolysis of TiF_4 under an acidic environment.The photocatalytic capability of these flower-like nanocomposites under visible light irradiation was found to be enhanced by up to 4.7-fold compared to commercial P25 TiO_2 nanoparticles.The enhanced photocatalytic activity was ascribed to improved light absorption and hot electron injection from the photo-excited Au@Ag core to the TiO_2 shell.     

Fe2O3/ZnO/ZnFe2O4 composites for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes under visible light

In this study, novel ternary Fe₂O₃/ZnO/ZnFe₂O₄ (ZFO) composites were successfully prepared through a simple hydrothermal reaction with subsequent thermal treatment. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) measurement, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS). The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (Rh B) under visible light irradiation indicated that the ZFO composites calcined at 500 °C has the best photocatalytic activity (the photocatalytic degradation efficiency can reach up to 95.7% within 60 min) and can maintain a stable photocatalytic degradation efficiency for at least three cycles. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of ZFO composites toward dye decomposition follows the order cationic Rh B > anionic methyl orange. Finally, using different scavengers, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals were identified as the primary active species during the degradation reaction of Rh B.     

纳米线堆积的铁硅球体催化剂用于费托合成

以共沉淀法所制的工业铁硅球体催化剂(indus-FS)为原料,用改进的有机胺蒸气相传输转化法,得到了负载高分散铁的交织氧化硅纳米线球体催化剂(NW-FS),并用于费托合成反应.在所制纳米线催化剂中,原料催化剂中氧化硅在氧化铁诱导下成功地转变成纳米线交织微球载体,而氧化铁组分则高度分散在氧化硅纳米线上.用扫描电镜、透射电镜、X射线衍射、低温氮吸附、X射线光电子能谱和程序升温还原等方法对所得纳米线催化剂进行了表征.在费托合成中,纳米线铁硅催化剂由于其特殊的堆积结构所导致的低的扩散阻力和高的铁活性组分分散度,提高了低碳烯烃尤其是乙烯的选择性.纳米线铁硅催化剂上低碳产物(C2–C4)的烯烷比为3.3,高于母体工业催化剂的1.9.     

Fe2O3/carbon quantum dots complex photocatalysts and their enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

In this study, we report the facile fabrication of Fe(2)O(3)/CQDs nanocomposites, and investigate their effective photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of toxic gas (gas-phase benzene and methanol) under visible light. The crucial roles of CQDs in the enhancement of photocatalytic activity of the Fe(2)O(3)/CQDs composites are illustrated.     

Evaluating the efficiency of the GO‐Fe3O4/TiO2 mesoporous photocatalyst for degradation of chlorpyrifos pesticide under visible light irradiation

In this work, the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized graphene oxide (GO)‐Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ mesoporous photocatalysts was evaluated using chlorpyrifos (CP) as a contaminant. The nano‐photocatalyst was characterized by X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and specific surface area by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method. Using visible light, the GO‐Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ mesoporous photocatalyst was investigated on the degradation of CP pesticide. The GO‐Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ photocatalyst displayed a good photocatalytic activity, which was achieving 97% of CP degradation after 60 min. Finally, experiments were performed to evaluate GO‐Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ mesoporous nanocatalyst activity on repeated applications; after several uses, its photocatalytic activity was retained, which indicated stability.     

CuAl2O4 powder synthesis by sol-gel method and its photodegradation property under visible light irradiation

Nanocrystalline spinel CuAl₂O₄ powders were prepared by sol-gel method from nitrate Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O, Al(NO₃)₃·9H₂O and complex C₆H₈O₇·H₂O. Sintering was carried out at 400, 500, 600, 700, 800°C respectively for 2 h in air. The XRD patterns started to appear CuAl₂O₄ peaks after sintering of 500°C and consist of only CuAl₂O₄ peaks as spinel crystal after sintering of 700°C. The powders were analyzed by TEM and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrum to be round, about 10–30 nm in size and Eg=1.77 eV. Photodegradation property of nanocrystalline CuAl₂O₄ powders was investigated by using methyl orange as model pollutant and mercury lamp (λ>400 nm) as energy source. The results indicated that CuAl₂O₄ powders sintered at 700°C had the excellent visible photocatalytic property. Under the irradiation of visible light, methyl orange could be degraded 97% in 120 min.     

Mesoporous zinc germanium oxynitride for CO2 photoreduction under visible light

Mesoporous zinc germanium oxynitride was synthesized by a template-free method at high temperature. Through optimizing redox potentials as well as improving crystallinity, this material showed enhanced activity in CO(2) photoreduction.     

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue on Fe3+-doped TiO2 nanoparticles under visible light irradiation

Fe³⁺-doped TiO₂ composite nanoparticles with different doping amounts were successfully synthesized using sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ultravioletvisible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was used as a model reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of Fe³⁺/TiO₂ nanoparticles under visible light irradiation. The influence of doping amount of Fe³⁺ (ω: 0.00%–3.00%) on photocatalytic activities of TiO₂ was investigated. Results show that the size of Fe³⁺/TiO₂ particles decreases with the increase of the amount of Fe³⁺ and their absorption spectra are broaden and absorption intensities are also increased. Doping Fe³⁺ can control the conversion of TiO₂ from anatase to rutile. The doping amount of Fe³⁺ remarkably affects the activity of the catalyst, and the optimum efficiency occurs at about the doping amount of 0.3%. The appropriate doping of Fe³⁺ can markedly increase the catalytic activity of TiO₂ under visible light irradiation. __________ Translated from Journal of Northwest Normal University (Natural Science), 2006, 42(6): 55–56 [译自: 西北师范大学学报(自然科学版)]     

大规模合成非贵金属磷化物/CdS复合光催化剂高效可见光催化产氢（英文）

目前,在可见光照射下光催化产氢是一条解决能源短缺的理想途径.该途径实现工业化的两个关键因素是得到低成本的光催化剂和高的产氢效率.非贵金属助催化剂代替贵金属可大大降低光催化剂的成本.通过简单的方法大规模合成并组装半导体和非贵金属助催化剂以形成复合光催化剂可进一步降低成本.本文采用大规模和低成本的共沉淀法合成了磷化物/CdS光催化剂,实现了光催化产氢.当负载CoP和Mo P助催化剂后,光催化产氢活性得到大幅度提高.其中CoP/CdS和Mo P/CdS的最佳产氢量分别为140和78μmol/h,并分别为CdS的7.0倍和4.0倍,分别为Pt/CdS的2.0倍和1.1倍.这说明磷化物CoP和Mo P是具有优良催化活性的低成本非贵金属助催化剂,可以代替贵金属助催化剂应用在光催化产H_2中.在制备磷化物/CdS时,先将两种磷化物反应原料分别在水热反应釜和马弗炉中煅烧合成前驱体,再分别在管式炉氮气和氢气氛围中进行磷化得到磷化物Mo P和CoP.然后,将得到的Mo P和CoP分别溶解在Cd(NO_3)_2·4H_2O溶液中,在搅拌状态下逐滴加入Na_2S溶液形成沉淀,即可得到复合物磷化物/CdS.CoP/CdS和Mo P/CdS的HRTEM观察显示,磷化物助催化剂与CdS半导体紧密结合,证明了共沉淀法制备助催化剂/半导体复合光催化剂的有效性.磷化物与CdS的紧密结合促进了光激发电子从CdS向磷化物转移,从而大大提高了光催化产氢活性.这项工作为低成本大规模制备光催化剂和光催化产H_2实现工业化提供了一条可行性思路.     

增强可见光催化活性的Z型MoO3/Bi2O4复合光催化剂的制备（英文）

全球工业化进程的加快使人们饱受环境污染问题的困扰.半导体光催化技术作为一种高效、绿色、有潜力的新技术,在环境净化方面有着广阔的应用前景.Bi2O4是近年来新开发出的一种铋基光催化剂,在环境净化方面已有一些研究.但是,单体光催化剂通常存在光响应范围窄、光生载流子复合率高等问题,这些不足限制了Bi2O4的进一步应用.因此,需要通过适当的改性来拓宽其光响应范围和提高其载流子的分离效率,从而提高其光催化活性.构建Z型异质结被认为是提高光催化剂光生载流子分离效率并进一步提高光催化活性的有效方法.MoO3是一种宽禁带的n型半导体,具有独特的能带结构、光学特性和表面效应,是一种非常有前景的半导体光催化剂.虽然MoO3材料的光生载流子复合率高,带隙(2.7-3.2 eV)大,不利于其参与光催化反应,但MoO3与其他合适的半导体配位形成复合材料后能够有效提高其光生载流子的分离效率,从而提高其光催化活性.本研究采用简单的水热法制备了一种新型Z型MoO3/Bi2O4复合光催化剂,SEM和TEM分析结果表明,MoO3和Bi2O4紧密结合在一起.X射线光电子能谱分析表明,MoO3和Bi2O4之间存在很强的界面相互作用,这有助于电荷转移和光生载流子的分离.光致发光光谱、电阻抗和光电流测试也证明了MoO3/Bi2O4复合光催化剂的光生载流子分离效率更高,形成了更强的光电流.通过在可见光下降解RhB溶液评价了所合成光催化剂的光催化性能.15%MoO3/Bi2O4(15-MB)复合光催化剂表现出了最佳的可见光催化活性,在40 min内对10 mg/L RhB溶液的降解率达到了99.6%,其降解速率是Bi2O4的2倍.此外,15-MB复合光催化剂在经过五次循环降解RhB溶液后仍保持良好的光催化活性和稳定性,表明MoO3/Bi2O4复合光催化剂具有较强的应用潜力.通过自由基捕获实验确定了光催化反应中主要的活性自由基为 O2-和h+.通过莫特-肖特基测试和带隙计算得到MoO3和Bi2O4的价带和导带位置.最后,根据实验和分析结果提出了Z型MoO3/Bi2O4复合光催化剂在可见光下降解RhB溶液的机理.本研究为设计铋基Z型异质结光催化剂用于高效去除环境污染物提供了一种有前景的策略.     

AgIO3-modified AgI/TiO2 composites for photocatalytic degradation of p-chlorophenol under visible light irradiation

Semiconducting silver iodate (AgIO(3)) was used to modify the visible light response of an AgI/TiO(2) (AIT) catalyst by a facile method. The uncalcined AIT (AITun) and AIT calcined at 200°C (AIT200) consisted of AgIO(3), AgI, and TiO(2) semiconductors, while that calcined at 450 °C (AIT450) was composed of AgI and TiO(2). The activity in p-chlorophenol (PCP) degradation under visible light irradiation using either AITun or AIT200 was much higher than that with AIT450, which was mainly attributed to the fact that the presence of AgIO(3) provided a new matching band potential. AIT200 exhibited better photocatalytic properties than AITun due to its higher crystallinity after calcination. Moreover, the high catalytic activity of AIT200 was maintained after five successive cyclic experiments under visible irradiation. Considering the effect of radical scavengers and N(2) purging on the photocatalysis process, we deduced that the probable pathway of PCP degradation was mainly a surface charge process, caused by valence band holes.     

Facile synthesis and kinetic mechanism of Ag-doped TiO2/SiO2 nanoparticles for phenol degradation under visible light irradiation

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Ternary Ag–TiO2–SiO2 nanocomposite photocatalysts were synthesized via a facile sol–gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction,...     

One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of willow branch-shaped MoS2/CdS heterojunctions for photocatalytic H2 production under visible light irradiation

Willow branch-shaped MoS₂/CdS heterojunctions are successfully synthesized for the first time by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemical and photoluminescence spectroscopy tests. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activities of the samples were evaluated under visible light irradiation. The resulting MoS₂/CdS heterojunctions exhibit a much improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity than that obtained with CdS and MoS₂. In particular, the optimized MC-5 (5 at.% MoS₂/CdS) photocatalyst achieved the highest hydrogen production rate of 250.8 μmol h^-1, which is 28 times higher than that of pristine CdS. The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) at 420 nm was 3.66%. Further detailed characterizations revealed that the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the MoS₂/CdS heterojunctions could be attributed to the efficient transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers resulting from the core-shell structure and the close contact between MoS₂ nanosheets and CdS single-crystal nanorods, as well as to increased visible light absorption. A tentative mechanism for photocatalytic H₂ evolution by MoS₂/CdS heterojunctions was proposed. This work will open up new opportunities for developing more efficient photocatalysts for water splitting.     

Self-assembled 3D flowerlike hierarchical Fe3O4@Bi2O3 core-shell architectures and their enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

Three‐dimensional (3D) flowerlike hierarchical Fe₃O₄@Bi₂O₃ core–shell architectures were synthesized by a simple and direct solvothermal route without any linker shell. The results indicated that the size of the 3D flowerlike hierarchical microspheres was about 420 nm and the shell was composed of several nanosheets with a thickness of 4–10 nm and a width of 100–140 nm. The saturation magnetization of the superparamagnetic composite microspheres was about 41 emu g^?1 at room temperature. Moreover, the Fe₃O₄@Bi₂O₃ composite microspheres showed much higher (7–10 times) photocatalytic activity than commercial Bi₂O₃ particles under visible‐light irradiation. The possible formation mechanism was proposed for Ostwald ripening and the self‐assembled process. This novel composite material may have potential applications in water treatment, degradation of dye pollutants, and environmental cleaning, for example.     

Efficient photocatalytic degradation of phenol over Co3O4/BiVO4 composite under visible light irradiation

Co3O4/BiVO4 composite photocatalyst with a p-n heterojunction semiconductor structure has been synthesized by the impregnation method. The physical and photophysical properties of the composite photocatalyst have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transimission electron microscopy (TEM), BET surface area, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra. Co is present as p-type Co3O4 and disperses on the surface of n-type BiVO4 to constitute a heterojunction composite. The photocatalyst exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation under visible light irradiation. The highest efficiency is observed when calcined at 300 degrees C with 0.8 wt % cobalt content. On the basis of the calculated energy band positions and PL spectra, the mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity has been discussed.     

Preparation of mesoporous TiO2/CNT nanocomposites by synthesis of mesoporous titania via EISA and their photocatalytic degradation under visible light irradiation

Stabilized mesoporous TiO₂ was synthesized by evaporation induced self assembly (EISA) method and mechanically incorporated into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) with different ratios. The physicochemical properties of the nanocomposites (mesoporous TiO₂/SWCNT) materials were investigated by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy measurements. The catalytic activity of mesoporous TiO₂ and nanocomposites were assessed by examining the degradation of rhodamine B as model aqueous solution under visible light. CNTs are facilitating the photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO₂ in the degradation of rhodamine B efficiently.     

Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to methanol by Cu2O/SiC nanocrystallite under visible light irradiation

The Cu2O/SiC photocatalyst was obtained from SiC nanoparticles (NPs) modified by Cu2O. Their photocatalytic activities for reducing CO2 to CH3OH under visible light irradiation have been investigated. The results indicated that besides a small quantity of 6H-SiC, SiC NPs mainly consisted of 3C-SiC. The band gaps of SiC and Cu2O were estimated to be about 1.95 and 2.23 eV from UV-Vis spectra, respectively. The Cu2O modification can enhance the photocatalytic performance of SiC NPs, and the largest yields of methanol on SiC, Cu2O and Cu2O/SiC photocatalysts under visible light irradiation were 153, 104 and 191μmol/g, respectively.     

Metal-free activation of H2O2 by g-C3N4 under visible light irradiation for the degradation of organic pollutants

Semiconducting carbon nitride materials were successfully prepared via a thermal poly-condensation of dicyandiamide as a precursor at >500 °C. The resulting materials were investigated as metal-free catalysts for the activation of H(2)O(2) with visible light under mild conditions, using the decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution as a model reaction. Results revealed that carbon nitride catalysts can activate H(2)O(2) to generate reactive oxy-radicals under visible light irradiation without employment of any metal additives, leading to the mineralization of the dye. Factors affecting the degradation of organic compounds are pH values and the concentration of H(2)O(2). Recycling of the catalyst indicated no obvious deactivation during the entire catalytic reaction, indicating good (photo)chemical stability of metal-free polymeric carbon nitride photocatalysts for environmental purification. This study demonstrated a promising approach for the activation of green oxidant, hydrogen peroxide, by the newly-developed polymer photocatalysts for environmental remediation and oxidation catalysis.     

Photoreduction of CO_2 to methanol over Bi_2S_3/CdS photocatalyst under visible light irradiation

The Bi2S3,CdS and Bi2S3/CdS photocatalysts were prepared by direct reactions between their corresponding salt and thiourea in a hy- drothermal autoclave.The photocatalytic activities of these photocatalysts for reducing CO2 to CH3OH under visible light irradiation have been investigated.The results show that the photocatalytic activity and visible light response of Bi2S3 are higher than those of CdS.The Bi2S3 modification can enhance the photocatalytic activity and visible light response of CdS.The photocatalytic activity of Bi2S3/CdS hetero-junction photocatalyst was the highest and the highest yields of methanol was 613μmol/g when the weight proportion of Bi2S3 to CdS was 15%,which was about three times as large as that of CdS or two times of that of Bi2S3.