Hierarchical Ag/ZnO micro/nanostructure: Green synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic performance

Ag/ZnO metal-semiconductor nanocomposites with hierarchical micro/nanostructure have been prepared by the hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results suggest that this biomolecule-assisted hydrothermal method is an efficient route for the fabrication of Ag/ZnO nanocomposites by using BSA both a shape controller and a reducing agent of Ag⁺ ions. Moreover, Ag nanoparticles on the ZnO act as electron sinks, improving the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, increasing the surface hydroxyl contents of ZnO, facilitating trapping the photoinduced electrons and holes to form more active hydroxyl radicals, and thus, enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO. This is a good example for the organic combination of green chemistry and functional materials.     

CeO2/NaNbO3复合物的水热合成及其光催化性能的提高

钙钛矿型NaNbO3由于其非线性光学、铁电、离子导电性、高声速、光催化性能和光折变等优良性能而备受关注. 在光催化反应中, 宽禁带宽度(≈ 3.24 eV)使NaNbO3具有较高的导带底(CBM)和较低的价带顶(VBM). 因此, 它表现出强烈的光氧化和光还原能力. 众所周知, 钙钛矿型光催化剂光电子激发和传输能力的增强归因于其较高的对称性. 因此, 具有高对称性的立方NaNbO3有利于电子激发和转移. 但是, 一些固有的缺点, 包括电荷分离效率低、量子产率差和光催化活性差等, 限制了其在光催化领域的实际应用. 为了解决这些问题, 一种有效的方法是与其他半导体结合, 形成具有改善光催化活性的异质结复合物. CeO2作为传统的催化剂在光催化领域得到了广泛研究. CeO2具有稳定、无毒的特点, 是一种n型半导体. 目前, 研究人员已经发现CeO2与不同半导体的耦合可以提高CeO2的光催化活性. 这归因于能级水平的适当匹配.本文通过简易水热法制备了高活性的CeO2/NaNbO3异质结复合物, 并采用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM, HRTEM)和紫外-可见漫反射光谱(DRS)等表征技术研究了所制光催化剂的物相结构、样品形貌和光学性能. 所制样品的光催化活性通过光催化降解无色抗菌环丙沙星(CIP)和染料罗丹明B(RhB)证实. 结果表明,在紫外和可见光照射, CeO2/NaNbO3复合物比纯NaNbO3具有更高的光催化活性. 此外, CeO2/NaNbO3复合物中CeO2的最佳质量比为2.0 wt%. 紫外光照射下光催化性能的显著提高是由于CeO2/NaNbO3异质结的形成不仅提高了光生电荷在界面范围内的迁移速率, 而且降低了光激发产生的电子和空穴的复合率. 可见光照射下内置电场的存在促进了电子和空穴的分离, 提高了光催化性能. 此外, 利用光致发光(PL)光谱、光电流、电化学阻抗谱和捕获实验证明了样品的光催化反应机理.捕获实验结果表明, ·OH自由基、·O2-自由基和空穴都参与了RhB的光催化降解过程. 最后, 探讨了提高光催化活性的可能机理.     

Parameters controlling the photocatalytic performance of ZnO/Hombikat TiO2 composites

Commercial TiO₂ (Hombikat, UV-100) was impregnated with different loadings of zinc nitrate solution and subsequently calcined at different temperatures in order to obtain a stable homogeneous solid composite of ZnO/TiO₂. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as N₂ adsorption and desorption measurements. Results show that ZnO was incorporated within the TiO₂ crystals and did not form a separate bulky phase or metallic zinc. Moreover, the calcination temperature dramatically modifies the texture properties of the prepared samples compared with original Hombikat TiO₂. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared samples was evaluated by monitoring the degradation of methyl orange dye under black light illumination. Three main parameters were studied; ZnO loading, surface area and initial pH of the methyl orange solution. The variation in ZnO loading appears to have less influence on the catalytic activity than either the surface area or the pH.     

具有多通道载流子分离功能的 ZnO/P25异质结构光催化氧化甲苯

甲苯是一种最常见的室内有毒挥发性有机物(VOCs),目前消除方法主要有吸附、催化燃烧和光催化氧化,其中光催化是一种最高效和经济可行的方法,能在较温和条件下将甲苯完全矿化为 CO2.作为研究最广泛的光催化剂, TiO2在应用中通常有锐钛矿(ATiO2)和金红石(RTiO2)两种物相,但单物相 TiO2的低量子产率和光生电子-空穴对的快速复合严重限制了它的应用.本文选择兼具锐钛矿和金红石两种物相的 P25为催化剂载体,通过负载少量 ZnO和构建多组分并具备多通道载流子分离功能的异质结以提高 TiO2基光催化剂的性能.
　　利用一步浸渍法制备了一系列 ZnO/P25复合光催化剂,考察了其光催化降解气相甲苯性能. X射线粉末衍射结果表明, ZnO/P25异质光催化剂是由 ATiO2, RTiO2和红锌矿三种物相结构组成.高分辨透射电镜结果表明, ZnO/P25具备三相异质结 ZnO(002)/ATiO2(101)/RTiO2(110).紫外可见光谱、荧光光谱和光电流表征结果表明, ZnO/P25所形成的三相异质结不但增强了光吸收能力,还实现了多通道电子/空穴分离.催化降解实验表明, ZnO/P25异质光催化剂能在室温紫外光辐射下将甲苯完全矿化为 CO2和 H2O.基于三相异质结和多通道光生电子-空穴对分离的形成及促进作用, ZnO/P25光催化活性和速率均明显高于 P25.本文报道的多通道载流子分离理念可为高效光催化剂设计和应用提供一种新思路.     

新型BiOI/g-C3N4纳米片复合光催化剂的制备及其可见光催化活性增强

近年来, 石墨型氮化碳(g-C3N4)作为一种n型半导体光催化剂材料, 由于具有较好的热稳定性和化学稳定性, 同时具有可调的带隙结构和优异的表面性质而备受人们关注. 然而, 传统的g-C3N4块体材料存在比表面积小、光响应范围窄和光生载流子易复合等缺陷, 制约着其光催化活性的进一步提高. 因此, 人们开发了多种技术对块体状g-C3N4材料进行改性,其中构建基于g-C3N4纳米薄片的异质结复合光催化材料被认为是强化g-C3N4载流子分离效率, 进而提高其可见光催化活性的重要手段. BiOI作为一种窄带隙的p型半导体光催化剂, 具有强的可见光吸收能力和较高的光催化活性, 同时它与g-C3N4纳米薄片具有能级匹配的带隙结构. 因此, 基于以上两种半导体材料的特性, 构建新型的BiOI/g-C3N4纳米片复合光催化剂材料不仅能够有效提高g-C3N4的可见光利用率, 而且还可以在n型g-C3N4和p型BiOI界面间形成内建电场, 极大促进光生电子-空穴对的分离与迁移效率.为此, 本文通过简单的一步溶剂热法在g-C3N4纳米薄片表面原位生长BiOI纳米片材料, 成功制备了新型的BiOI/g-C3N4纳米片复合光催化剂. 利用X射线衍射仪(XRD), 场发射扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱和瞬态光电流响应谱对所合成复合光催化剂的晶体结构、微观形貌、光吸收性能和电荷分离性能进行了表征测试. XRD, SEM和TEM结果显示, 结晶完好的BiOI呈小片状均匀分散在g-C3N4纳米薄片表面; 紫外漫反射光谱表明, 纳米片复合材料的吸光性能较g-C3N4薄片有显著提升; 瞬态光电流测试证明, 复合材料较单一材料有更好的电荷分离与迁移性能.在可见光催化降解RhB的测试中, BiOI/g-C3N4纳米片复合光催化剂显示出了优异的催化活性和稳定性, 其光降解活性分别为纯BiOI和g-C3N4的34.89和1.72倍; 自由基捕获实验发现, 反应过程中的主要活性物种为超氧自由基(·O2-), 即光生电子主导整个降解反应的发生. 由此可见, 强的可见光吸收能力和g-C3N4与BiOI界面处形成的内建电场协同促进了g-C3N4纳米薄片的电荷分离, 进而显著提高了该复合材料的可见光催化降解活性. 此外, 本文初步验证了在BiOI/g-C3N4纳米片复合光催化体系内光生电荷是依据"双向转移"机制进行分离和迁移的, 而非"Z型转移"机制.     

Enhancement of photocatalytic activity in UV-illuminated tin dioxode/aluminum oxide system in aqueous 4-nitrophenol

A modified tin dioxide/aluminum oxide was prepared by co-precipitation, and its photocatalytic activity was measured. Tin dioxide modified by adding aluminum oxide had a higher photocatalytic activity than other photocatalysts in this study, especially at pH 7. A mass balance for carbon with UV-254 nm/SnO₂/Al₂O₃ system at pH 7 indicated that the amount of the intermediate increased with reaction time, but decreased after 120 min of photodegradation. The results reveal that the photocatalytic carrier, Al₂O₃, not only increased the amount of 4-nitrophenol removed but also promoted mineralization and destroyed 4-nitrophenol, which was degraded to other simple organic substances or inorganic substances.     

Microwave-assisted preparation and enhanced photocatalytic activity of Bi2WO6/BiOI heterojunction for organic pollutants degradation under visible-light irradiation

In this research, we adopted morphology control and constructing p-n heterojunction to boost the photocatalytic performance of BiOI. BiOI with three morphologies (nanoplate, micro-flower, microsphere) was fabricated via a wet-chemical method at room temperature using different solvents. And Bi₂WO₆/BiOI microspheres were successfully prepared by a microwave-assisted synthetic method. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). The results of photo-degradation experiment demonstrated that BiOI-3 and BWOI-3 show high photocatalytic performance towards methyl orange (MO) and bisphenol A (BPA) degradation due to the high specific surface area, synergistic effect between p-type BiOI and n-type Bi₂WO₆ and high separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs, which is verified by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Photocurrent (PC) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analysis. Moreover, the repeated photocatalytic experiment was carried out by using MO as the representative organic pollutant, manifesting the good durability of the sample.     

NiFe2O4/g-C3N4 heterojunction composite with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Spinel structure nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) photocatalyst NiFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄ was synthesized by the coprecipitation route to enhance the photocatalytic activity for the visible-light driven degradation of methyl orange. The NiFe₂O₄ doping content is responsible for the microstructure and photocatalytic activity of NiFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄ samples. Compared with pure NiFe₂O₄ and g-C₃N₄, the 2-NiFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄ composite with NiFe₂O₄ doping of 2.0 wt% exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and superior stability after five runs for degrading methyl orange under visible light irradiation. The catalytic activity of 2-NiFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄ sample produced using the coprecipitation route was higher than those of conventional 2-NiFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄ bulks prepared by the impregnation approach. The prepared samples for the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange followed pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics. It’s ascribed to the synergistic effect between NiFe₂O₄ and g-C₃N₄, which can inhibit the recombination of photoexcited electron-hole pairs, accelerate photoproduced charges separation, and enhance the visible light absorption.     

Construction of 2D-2D TiO2 nanosheet/layered WS2 heterojunctions with enhanced visible-light-responsive photocatalytic activity

Constructing nanocomposites that combine the advantages of composite materials, nanomaterials, and interfaces has been regarded as an important strategy to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂. In this study, 2D-2D TiO₂ nanosheet/layered WS₂ (TNS/WS₂) heterojunctions were prepared via a hydrothermal method. The structure and morphology of the photocatalysts were systematically characterized. Layered WS₂ (～4 layers) was wrapped on the surface of TiO₂ nanosheets with a plate-to-plate stacked structure and connected with each other by W=O bonds. The as-prepared TNS/WS₂ heterojunctions showed higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of RhB under visible-light irradiation, than pristine TiO₂ nanosheets and layered WS₂. The improvement of photocatalytic activity was primarily attributed to enhanced charge separation efficiency, which originated from the perfect 2D-2D nanointerfaces and intimate interfacial contacts between TiO₂ nanosheets and layered WS₂. Based on experimental results, a double-transfer photocatalytic mechanism for the TNS/WS₂ heterojunctions was proposed and discussed. This work provides new insights for synthesizing highly efficient and environmentally stable photocatalysts by engineering the surface heterojunctions.     

Visible light driven photocatalytic activity of ZnO/CuO nanocomposites coupled with rGO heterostructures synthesized by solid-state method for RhB dye degradation

Metal oxide frame works along with carbon materials have been attracting tremendous attention of researches as the potential materials for energy and environmental remediation. In the present work heterostructures of (ZnO/CuO)/rGO ternary nanocomposites were synthesized by solid-state method. The crystalline structure of the nanoparticles was obtained from the XRD analysis. Optical band gap of the ZnO nanoparticles (3.1 eV) is tuned to 2.8 eV in the synthesized (ZnO/CuO)/rGO ternary nanocomposites. Field emission scanning electron microscope images of the (ZnO/CuO)/rGO ternary nanocomposites revealed formation of well-developed flowers like morphology of (ZnO/CuO) nanoparticles on rGO sheets. Photoluminescence spectroscopy analysis of (ZnO/CuO)/rGO ternary nanocomposites show enhancement in the electron-hole pair separation and thereby diminishing electron-hole pairs recombination rates effectively. In the present work, the photocatalytic activity of the ZC₃G₁₅ ternary nanocomposites show 99% and 93% of degradation efficiency respectively against RhB dye and 4-chlorophenol for 20 min under visible light irradiation. Thus, the simple solid-state method provides the effective ternary nanocomposites heterostructures light harvesting material for energy and environmental remediation.     

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.     

Photochemical Synthesis and Spectral-Optical Characteristics of ZnO/Cu and ZnO/Ag/Cu Nanoheterostructures

The photoreduction of Cu²⁺ at the surface of ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO/Ag nanostructures was investigated. The spectral characteristics of the obtained ZnO/Cu and ZnO/Ag/Cu composites were studied in relation to the reaction conditions. It was shown that the ZnO/Ag nanoparticles have higher photocatalytic activity in the reduction of Cu²⁺ ions than the individual ZnO particles.     

Band gap narrowing of TiO2 by compensated codoping for enhanced photocatalytic activity

In this study,we have performed first-principles screened exchanged hybrid density function theory with the HSE06 function calculations of the C-Mo,C-W,N-Nb and N-Ta codoped anatase TiO 2 systems to investigate the effect of codoping on the electronic structure of TiO 2.The calculated results demonstrate that(W(s)+C(s)) codoped TiO 2 narrows the band gap significantly,and have little influence on the position of conduction band edges,therefore,enhances the efficiency of the photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water and the photodegradation of organic pollutants.Moreover,the proper oxygen pressure and temperature are two key factors during synthesis which should be carefully under control so that the desired(W(s)+C(s)) codoped TiO 2 can be obtained.     

Z型复合催化剂g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO光催化活性的研究

随着科学技术的不断进步和经济的快速发展,人类对自然资源的需求量越来越大,在开发利用自然资源的同时,大量的有机污染物也随之进入自然环境.这些物质不仅污染环境、破坏生态,更对人类的生活和健康带来了巨大的威胁.研究证实,半导体光催化剂在光照条件下可以破坏有机污染物的分子结构,最终将其氧化降解成CO2、H2O或其它不会对环境产生二次污染的小分子,从而净化水质.近年来,有关光催化降解有机污染物的报道日益增多. ZnO作为一种广泛研究的光催化降解材料,因其无毒、低成本和高效等特点而具有一定的应用前景.但是ZnO较大的禁带宽度(3.24 eV)导致其只能吸收紫外光部分,而对可见光的吸收效率很小,极大地制约了其实际应用.除此之外, ZnO受光激发产生的电子-空穴分离效率较低、光催化过程中的光腐蚀严重也是制约其实际应用的重要因素.为了提高ZnO的光催化活性和稳定性,本文合成了用g-C3N4修饰的氧空位型ZnO(g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO)复合催化剂,在有效调控ZnO半导体能带结构的同时,通过负载一定量的g-C3N4以降低光生电子-空穴对的复合速率和反应过程中ZnO的光腐蚀,增强催化剂的光催化活性和稳定性.本文首先合成前驱体Zn(OH)F,然后焙烧三聚氰胺和Zn(OH)F的混合物得到g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO复合催化剂,并采用电子顺磁共振波谱(EPR)、紫外-可见光谱(UV-vis)、高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)和傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)等表征了它们的结构及其性质. EPR结果表明,ZnO焙烧后具有一定浓度的氧空位,导致其禁带宽度由3.24 eV降至3.09 eV,因而提高了ZnO对可见光的吸收效率. UV-vis结果显示, Vo-ZnO复合g-C3N4后对可见光的吸收显著增强. HRTEM和FT-IR结果均表明, g-C3N4纳米片和Vo-ZnO颗粒之间通过共价键形成了强耦合,这对g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO复合催化剂中光生载流子的传送和光生电子-空穴对的有效分离起到重要作用.可见光催化降解甲基橙(MO)和腐殖酸(HA)的实验进一步证明, g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO复合材料具有较好的光催化活性,优于单一的g-C3N4或Vo-ZnO材料.同时还发现, g-C3N4的负载量对光催化活性有显著影响,当氮化碳的负载量为1 wt%时,所制材料具有最高的光催化活性：可见光照射60 min后,MO降解率可达到93%, HA降解率为80%.复合材料光催化活性的增强一方面是因为氧空位的形成减小了ZnO的禁带宽度,使得ZnO对可见光的吸收能力大大增强;另一方面, g-C3N4和Vo-ZnO的能带符合了Z型催化机理所需的有效能带匹配,使得光生电子-空穴对得到了有效的分离,从而提高了光催化活性.降解MO的循环实验表明, g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO催化剂具有很好的稳定性且不容易发生光腐蚀.与此同时,我们对比了用不同方法制备的g-C3N4/ZnO材料的催化性能.结果显示,本文制备的g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO复合材料具有更好的降解效率.总体而言,对于降解有机污染物, g-C3N4/Vo-ZnO可能是一个更为有效可行的催化体系.此外,本文也为设计与制备其他新型光催化剂提供了一条新的思路.     

Facile fabrication of ZnO/N‐doped helical carbon nanotubes composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity toward organic pollutant degradation

Novel ZnO/N‐doped helical carbon nanotubes (ZnO/N‐HCNTs) composites were successfully synthesized via a facile chemical precipitation approach at room temperature. The sample was well characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. It is found that ZnO nanoparticles were highly and uniformly anchored on the surface and inner tubes of the N‐HCNTs with size of about 5 nm, and significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity compared to pure ZnO. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of ZnO/N‐HCNTs composites can be ascribed to the integrative synergistic effect of effective interfacial hybridization between N‐HCNTs and ZnO nanoparticles and the prolonged lifetime of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Moreover, the ZnO/N‐HCNTs could be easily recycled without any obvious decrease in photocatalytic activity and could be promote their application in the area of environmental remediation.     

Influence of Aging Time on the Properties of Precursors of CuO／ZnO Catalysts for Methanol Synthesis

The aging process of pure copper precursors and copper-zinc binary precursors were studied by XRD, TG-DTG and TPR techniques. The catalytic activity and stability of CuO/ZnO were tested using fixed-bed flow reactor, and the physical properties of the catalysts and Cu species were characterized with N2 adsorption and N2O passivation method, respectively. For the Cu-Zn binary system prepared at the precipitating condition of pH=8.0 and temperature=80℃, the initial phase was a mixture of copper nitrate hydroxide Cu2(NO3)(OH)3, georgeite and hydrozincite Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6. By increasing the duration of its aging time, the phase of Cu2(NO3)(OH)2 first transited to georgeite, and then interdiffused into Zns(CO3)2(OH)6 and resulted in two new phases: rosasite (Cu,Zn)2CO3(OH)2 and aurichalcite (Zn,Cu)5(CO3)2(OH)6. The former phase was much easier to be formed than the latter one, while the latter phase was more responsible for the activity of methanol synthesis than the former one. It is found that the composition and structure of the precursors altered obviously after the colour transition point. The experimental results showed that methanol synthesis is a structure-sensitive catalytic reaction.     

石墨烯/电气石/二氧化钛复合材料的制备及其光催化降解异丙醇性能

光催化是一种理想的应对全球能源短缺和环境污染问题的绿色化学技术,可以实现有机物降解、水分解和二氧化碳光还原等.光催化反应效率受诸多因素影响,其中光生载流子(电子和空穴)的分离和传输具有至关重要的作用.以往研究表明,构筑多元复合光催化材料体系有利于光生电子和空穴有效分离和传递,促进催化剂表面的还原和氧化反应,从而提高其光催化效率.基于以上考虑,我们提出了一种新型的石墨烯/电气石/TiO2三元复合光催化材料体系,其中TiO2因其价格低廉、无毒和抗光腐蚀等优点而被广泛用作光催化材料;石墨烯(G)拥有独特的二维结构、高的电子迁移率、大的比表面积,是一种优异的催化剂载体;电气石(T)的一个重要性质是表面存在自发极化的静电场,该静电场将会影响光激发载流子的分离、传递和光催化反应过程.利用水热法合成了不同成分的石墨烯/电气石/TiO2三元复合材料体系.为了对比研究石墨烯表面电荷性质的影响,其中一组的石墨烯(氧化石墨)为直接采用改良的Hummers法所制备,其表面带负电;另一组的石墨烯经聚二烯丙基二甲基氯化铵(PDDA)修饰,使其表面带正电.X射线衍射结果显示,三元复合材料中TiO2为锐钛矿相,其结晶性没有因为与石墨烯和电气石的复合而受到影响.扫描和透射电子显微分析表明,TiO2的平均颗粒大小为15 nm左右,并且与石墨烯和电气石均匀复合.傅里叶变换红外光谱和zeta电位表征分析证实,PDDA可以有效地对石墨烯进行功能化改性,使其表面带正电.紫外-可见分光光谱显示,石墨烯/电气石/TiO2三元复合材料与TiO2的吸收带边一致,复合材料中石墨烯和电气石并没有改变TiO2的光吸收特征.光催化降解异丙醇实验表明,石墨烯/电气石/TiO2三元复合材料优于单纯的TiO2、石墨烯/TiO2以及电气石/TiO2二元复合材料,当石墨烯和电气石的质量百分比分别为0.5%和5%时,三元复合材料降解异丙醇产生丙酮的速率达到最高(223μmol/h).特别值得指出的是,由表面带负电的石墨烯组成的复合材料比由带正电荷的PDDA-石墨烯组成的复合材料具有更高的光催化性能,原因如下:在水溶液中显示正zeta电位值的TiO2与带负电的石墨烯/电气石复合物静电吸引而均匀紧密复合,有利于TiO2中光生电子和空穴的快速分离和传递,从而使得石墨烯/电气石/TiO2三元复合材料具有较高的光催化性能;而带正电的PDDA-石墨烯/电气石复合物和TiO2颗粒相互排斥而不宜复合,导致PDDA-石墨烯基复合材料的光催化活性降低.机理研究揭示,在三元复合材料光催化降解异丙醇的反应中起主要作用的是光生电子和空穴.基于以上研究结果,我们提出了三元复合材料光催化降解异丙醇的反应机理.     

Corallocarpus epigaeus mediated synthesis of ZnO/CuO integrated ZrO2 nanoparticles for enhanced in-vitro antibacterial,antifungal and antidiabetic activities

Zirconia based nanocomposites have attracted much research attention in recent years due to their exceptional biomedicinal activities. Rhizome extracts of Corallocarpus epigaeus based ZrO₂/CuO–ZnO nanocomposite were green synthesized in a facile synthesis strategy. The nanocomposites were examined with XRD technique for their structural information and FT-IR technique for surface functional group analysis. Electron microscopic images aided to elucidate the CuO and ZnO nanoparticles decorated ZrO₂ nanostructures. UV–vis absorption spectroscopic studies of the nanocomposite revealed the characteristic UV absorption of ZrO₂ and enhanced visible region absorption for the incorporated nanoparticles. Antibacterial and antifungal studies indicated enhanced activity of nanocomposites over the pristine zirconia nanoparticles. ZrO₂/CuO–ZnO nanocomposite had exhibited about 75% of α-amylase inhibition activity, whereas pristine ZrO₂ nanoparticles had exhibited only 57% suggesting the worthwhile application in the antidiabetic activity of the nanocomposite.     

One-step synthesis of novel flower-like Sn-doped ZnO architectures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

A facile hydrothermal method to synthesize flower-like Sn-doped ZnO (FLSn-ZnO) nanostructures is described. The obtained hierarchical architectures of FLSn-ZnO are found to be assembled with abundant regular-shaped nanosheets and nanoparticles. A possible formation mechanism is proposed on the base of a series of control experiments. The tests show that FLSn-ZnO architectures exhibit higher photocatalytic activity in the degrading Rhodamine B and tetracycline aqueous solution than pure ZnO under UV-light irradiation. And photocurrent response and photoluminescence of ZnO and FLSn-ZnO demonstrates that in photocatalytic performance, the latter is higher.