The Effect of Loading Palladium on Zinc Oxide on the Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl tert‐Butyl Ether (MTBE) in Water

A series of heterogeneous catalysts was prepared by doping zinc oxide with different palladium loadings in the range of 0.5%–1.5%. The prepared catalysts were characterized by SEM, TEM and XRD. These catalysts were applied to study the degradation of Methyl tert‐Butyl Ether (MTBE). An amount of 100 mg of each of these catalysts was added to an aqueous solution of 100 ppm of MTBE. The resulting mixtures were irradiated with UV light for a period of 5 h. A 99.7% removal of MTBE was achieved in the case of the zinc oxide photocatalyst particles doped with 1% Pd. The photoreaction was found to be a first‐order one.     

Synthesis of Nano‐Sized Zinc Oxide Photocatalyst by Combustion Method

The objective of this research was to use combustion synthesis to create a nano‐sized ZnO photocatalyst using citric acid as the fuel and zinc nitrate as the oxidant. The starting materials were mixed in a stoichiometric ratio, and a slurry precursor with high homogeneity was formed. The precursor was ignited at room temperature, resulting in dry, loose, and voluminous ZnO powders. The powders, characterized by SEM, TEM and XRD, showed a particle size range of 40 to 80 nm with a wurtzite structure. The ZnO powders were introduced as a photocatalyst for the degradation of methyl orange, which was adopted as a model compound. UV light (6W) was used as the irradiation source to induce synthesized ZnO powders to perform catalytic activity. The photocatalytic reaction was executed in 40 mL of a 10 ppm methyl orange aqueous solution under 254 nm UV illumination. In this work, it was observed that both UV light and ZnO powders are needed for the photocatalytic reaction. In addition, it was found that increasing the amount of ZnO powder present in the MO (methyl orange‐C₁₄H₁₄N₃NaO₃S) solution did not correlate directly with an increase in photocatalytic ability. It was found that the scattering problem of UV light also needs to be considered. The optimized photocatalytic degradation ratio in this work reached 92.7%.     

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.     

Combustion synthesis of calcium doped ZnO nanoparticles for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye

ZnO nanoparticles are one of the prominent photocatalysts for environmental applications due to its high redox ability, nontoxic and higher stability. This report explains the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles by a simple solution combustion method using zinc nitrate hexahydrate as an oxidizing agent and incense stick powder as fuel at 400 °C. Several techniques were adopted for the characterization of the obtained product. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows that a lower concentration of fuel gives pure ZnO and a higher concentration of fuel results in calcium doped ZnO with a cubic phase having a crystallite size of 32–28 nm. UV–vis spectrum shows that as the fuel concentration increases, band gap decreases and reaches to 3.33 eV for 3 g of fuel. Spongy networks with many pores wereobserved in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed the average particle size of Ca doped ZnO NPs is about 20 nm. Pure and Ca doped ZnO nanoparticles were examined for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV light irradiation. The results prove that Ca doped ZnO nanoparticles show good photocatalytic activity.     

Magnetic ZnO Crystal Nanoparticle Growth on Reduced Graphene Oxide for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance under Visible Light Irradiation

Magnetite zinc oxide (MZ) (Fe₃O₄/ZnO) with different ratios of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was synthesized using the solid-state method. The structural and optical properties of the nanocomposites were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis/DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectrophotometry. In particular, the analyses show higher photocatalytic movement for crystalline nanocomposite (MZG) than MZ and ZnO nanoparticles. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) with crystalline ZnO for 1.5 h under visible light was 12%. By contrast, the photocatalytic activity for MZG was more than 98.5%. The superior photocatalytic activity of the crystalline nanocomposite was detected to be due to the synergistic effect between magnetite and zinc oxide in the presence of reduced graphene oxide. Moreover, the fabricated nanocomposite had high electron–hole stability. The crystalline nanocomposite was stable when the material was used several times.     

氧化铜/氧化锌/3A分子筛光催化剂的制备及其可见光脱氮性能

采用浸渍法合成了氧化铜/氧化锌/3A分子筛(CuO/ZnO/3A)复合催化剂,并利用X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等技术手段对催化剂的结构及性能进行了系统的表征;以吡啶-正辛烷体系为模拟油品氮源,系统研究了该催化剂在可见光作用下的光催化脱氮行为,并系统考察了催化剂的制备条件、用量及催化时间对其脱氮性能的影响。 结果表明,随着锌源与铜源加入量的增加,CuO/ZnO/3A复合物的光催化活性,呈现先增大后降低的规律。 在400 ℃煅烧5 h的情况下,当锌源的加入质量分数为9.8%,铜源的加入质量分数为28.6%时,在可见光照射条件下,反应150 min后,CuO/ZnO/3A复合催化剂对50 mL吡啶质量分数为100 μg/g的模拟油品中吡啶的脱氮率达到74.78%。     

Active and recyclable ordered mesoporous magnetic organometallic catalyst as high‐performance visible light photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutants

A novel light‐active magnetic Pd complex as a photocatalyst was prepared through bonding organometallics to mesoporous silica channels formed on the surface of silica‐coated iron oxide nanoparticles. The nanocomposite (denoted as Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@m‐SiO₂@PDA‐Pd(0); PDA = 1,10‐phenanthroline‐2,9‐dicarbaldehyde) is more efficient and has higher photocatalytic capability in the degradation of 2,4‐dichlorophenol under visible light irradiation compared with virgin Pd complex (PDA‐Pd). This noteworthy photodegradation activity can be due to the high dispersion of Pd nanoparticles. High yield, low reaction time and non‐toxicity of the catalyst are the main merits of this protocol. Also magnetic separation is an environmentally friendly alternative method for the separation and recovery of the catalyst, since it minimizes the use of solvents and auxiliary materials, reduces operation time and minimizes catalyst loss by preventing mass loss and oxidation. The produced Pd catalyst was characterised using various techniques. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy characterization was used for determining the structural properties of the Pd nanocatalyst.     

Cu2O/ZnO的形貌可控制备及光催化性能

以CuSO₄和ZnCl₂为原料, 采用温和的液相还原法制备得到Cu₂O/ZnO微米结构高效光催化剂. 研究了不同[Cu²⁺]/[Zn²⁺]比条件下所得Cu₂O/ZnO复合物的形貌和光催化活性. 通过5.5 h的光照, Cu₂O/ZnO光催化剂对甲基橙染料的降解率为(77.5±0.1)%. 将多形貌Cu₂O/ZnO复合物作为阳极, 铂片作为对电极, 中间注入甲基橙溶液, 组装“三明治”结构拟电池, 研究了复合物的光降解机制.     

溶胶凝胶法制备CNT／ZnO纳米复合材料及其光催化性研究

Chemistry and Chemical Engineer School, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, Henan 453003, China     

Preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic activity of polyaniline/ZnO nanocomposite

Polyaniline (PANI)/zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite was synthesized by in-situ polymerization. X-ray diffraction patterns, UV?Cvisible spectroscopy, SEM, and TEM were used to characterize the composition and structure of the nanocomposite. Nanostructured PANI/ZnO composite was used as photocatalyst in the photodegradation of methylene blue dye molecules in aqueous solution. The photocatalytic activity of PANI/ZnO nanocomposite under UV and visible light irradiation was evaluated and was compared with that of ZnO nanoparticles. ZnO/PANI core?Cshell nanocomposite had greater photocatalytic activity than ZnO nanoparticles and pristine PANI under visible light irradiation. According to these results, application of PANI as a shell on the surface of ZnO nanoparticles causes the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the PANI/ZnO nanocomposite. Also UV?Cvisible spectroscopy studies showed that the absorption peak for PANI/ZnO nanocomposite has a red shift toward visible wavelengths compared with the ZnO nanoparticles and pristine PANI. The effect of different operating conditions on the photocatalytic performance of PANI/ZnO nanocomposite in the photodegradation of methylene blue dye molecules was investigated in a bath experimental setup.     

Visible-light-induced photocatalytic performances of ZnO-CuO nanocomposites for degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol

Nanostructured ZnO and CuO, and coupled oxides, i.e., ZnCu, Zn2Cu, and ZnCu2, with ZnO:CuO molar ratios of 1:1, 2:1, and 1:2, respectively, were successfully prepared through a simple, one-step, mi-crowave-assisted urea–nitrate combustion synthesis, without the use of organic solvents or surfac-tants. The prepared samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spec-troscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photo-luminescence spectroscopy. The optical absorption of ZnO extended into the visible region after CuO loading. The photocatalytic activities of ZnO, CuO, and the coupled oxides were evaluated based on photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol under visible-light irradiation. The coupled metal oxide Zn2Cu showed the best photocatalytic activity;this was mainly attributed to the extended photore-sponsive range and the increased charge separation rate in the nanocomposite. The photocatalytic degradation process obeyed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The results suggest that the coupled metal oxide Zn2Cu has potential applications as an efficient catalytic material with high efficiency and recyclability for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation.     

Spherical Zinc Oxide Nano Particles from Zinc Acetate in the Precipitation Method

The liquid precipitation method using zinc acetate dihydrate was applied for the synthesis of uniform and spherical ZnO nanoparticles. The ultrafine zinc oxid was prepared in a water‐ethanol mixture solution. The solution containing zinc cation was soluble in water. The surface‐active agent triethanolamine (TEA) was soluble in ethanol. Then alkali precipitated by adding n‐propylamine. The spherical zinc oxide particle morphology was found to be highly dependent on the zinc salt concentration, ethanol‐water ratio, and the surface‐active agent additive. The process can produce white ZnO powder of 50–90 nm in size. The morphology of zinc oxide showed a powder shape by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the crystallization phase structure of zinc oxide by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and the zinc oxide remaining by using an organic analysis by infrared spectroscopy (IR).     

Green biosynthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Corymbia citriodora leaf extract and their photocatalytic activity

ABSTRACT

We reported a green and simple method for biosynthesizing zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using Corymbia citriodora leaf extract as reducing and stabilizing agent. SEM, EDX, XRD, UV–VIS spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and TGA have been used for characterizing the biosynthesized ZnO NPs. The results indicating the ZnO NPs synthesized by C. citriodora leaf extract have high purity and the average size is 64?nm. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnO NPs has been investigated by degradation methylene blue under visible light irradiation. Due to the smaller size, the biosynthesized ZnO NPs showed an excellent photocatalytic performance.     

同轴静电纺丝法制备ZnO/Ag2O纳米纤维材料及其光电催化性能研究

以醋酸锌和乙酰丙酮银为前驱体, 通过同轴静电纺丝和热处理过程在氟掺杂氧化锡(FTO)导电玻璃上制备了ZnO/Ag₂O同轴纳米纤维. 采用X射线衍射(XRD)、 X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、 透射电子显微镜(TEM)、 拉曼光谱和紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)等手段对材料进行了表征. 以氙灯模拟可见光光源, 亚甲基蓝为目标降解物, 考察了所制备纳米纤维的光电催化活性. 结果表明, 同轴ZnO/Ag₂O纳米纤维具有壳核类似结构(ZnO为壳, Ag₂O为核), Ag₂O与ZnO形成的异质结和杂质能级降低了ZnO的带隙能, 提高了对可见光的利用率. 在可见光下, 与纯ZnO相比, ZnO/Ag₂O具有很强的光电催化能力, 并且Ag₂O的量对同轴纤维光电催化活性影响很大, 在同样光电催化条件下, ZnO/Ag₂O-7同轴纳米纤维的光电催化效果最好, 亚甲基蓝降解率达93%, 动力学常数最大为1.13×10 ^-2 min ^-1.     

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles by surface modification with KF using thermal shock method

ZnO nanoparticles were modified with KF using thermal shock method at various temperatures in order to improve the photocatalytic activity of ZnO under both UVA and visible light irradiation. The influences of KF-modification on the crystal structure, morphology, UV–visible absorption, specific surface area as well as surface structure of ZnO were respectively characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, UV–Visible diffuse reflectance, N₂ adsorption and XPS spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated via the degradation of methylene blue under UVA irradiation. According to the results, the thermal shock process with KF did not modify the structure, the particle size and the optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles but successfully increase their UVA and visible light induced photocatalytic activity. This enhancement of activity may be attributed to the increase of surface hydroxyl groups and zinc vacancies of modified ZnO samples.     

Influence of pH on the synthesis ZnO nanorods and photocatalytic hydrogen production from glycerol solution

Photocatalytic oxidation of glycerol at ambient conditions has been investigated with the use of Zinc oxide photocatalysts. Zinc oxide nanorods were prepared via a simple hydrothermal method using zinc nitrate and sodium hydroxide in the solution pH of 7, 8 and 9. The samples prepared in this way were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis). The pH of the solution is 7, the sample contains zinc hydroxide nitrate hydrated. When the pH of solution was adjusted to 8 and 9, the samples consisted of pure hexagonal wurtzite ZnO without impurity detection. The influence of solution pH on hydrogen formation was investigated. The wurtzite ZnO nanorods synthesized in a solution with pH 9 are considered promising photocatalysts for hydrogen production under xenon radiation.     

Enhanced CO sensing properties of Pd modified ZnO porous nanosheets

Noble metal is usually used to improve the gas sensing performance of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) due to its better catalytic properties. In this work, we reported a synthesis of Pd/ZnO nanocomposite by an in situ reduction with ascorbic acid (AA). It was found that Pd/ZnO sensor has excellent selectivity to CO and the response of the Pd/ZnO sensor towards 100 ppm CO was as high as 15 (R_a/R_g), obviously higher than that of the pristine ZnO sensor (1.4) when the working temperature is 220 °C. Moreover, the pure ZnO sensor almost has no selectivity to CO, but the Pd/ZnO sensor has excellent selectivity to CO, which may be ascribed to the electronic sensitization of Pd. Our present results demonstrate that the Pd can significantly improve the gas-sensing performance of metal oxide semiconductor and the obtained sensor has great potential in monitoring coal mine gas.     

In situ synthesis of ZnO nanocrystal/PET hybrid nanofibers via electrospinning

Hybrid nanofibers of ZnO precursors/PET were fabricated by electrospinning a nonaqueous poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) solution containing zinc acetate dihydrate. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the as prepared nanofibers had smooth and uniform surfaces, and the diameter was decreased with increasing zinc acetate dihydrate content and reducing PET concentration. After the treatment by a mild process of immersing the fibers in ammonia‐ethanol mixtures (pH ≈ 9–11), the surface of the nanofibers became rough during the formation of ZnO nanocrystals in the fibers. High resolution transmission electron microscopy images showed that the mean particle size became smaller with increasing diameter of the polymer fibers and decreasing content of ZnO. Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed the ZnO formation in the hybrid nanofibers. X‐ray diffractometry patterns indicated that ZnO had the Wurtzite structure. The formation and growth of ZnO nanocrystals in the nanofiber matrices was also influenced by the various other parameters, that is, the pH value of the reaction solution, the content of zinc acetate dihydrate within the fibers, the reaction time and temperature. Photoluminescence spectra under excitation at 300 nm revealed a broad and intense ultraviolet emission. The UV‐visible diffuse reflectance spectra demonstrated the blue shift in the absorbance curve, which was ascribed to the quantum confinement effects of ZnO nanoparticles in the hybrid materials. These hybrid nanofibers can potentially be used in light emitters, chemical sensors, photo‐catalysts and solar cells. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1360–1368, 2011     

ZnO-聚苯胺同轴纳米线及其列阵的制备和表征

以阳极氧化铝膜 (AAO)作模板 ,制备聚苯胺 (PANI)纳米管和PANI纳米管列阵 ;同时利用溶胶_凝胶法制备ZnO_PANI同轴纳米线和同轴纳米线列阵 .PANI纳米管和ZnO_PANI同轴纳米线的形貌通过透射电子显微镜表征 .PANI纳米管的外径约 3 0nm ,内径约 1 0nm ;ZnO_PANI同轴纳米线直径约 60nm .实验发现 ,较之ZnO纳米线 ,同轴AAO模板中纳米线列阵的可见光发射谱带兰移 ,强度显著增强 ,这可能和PANI链上的NH基团与表面Zn2 +离子之间的相互作用有关 ,以及由于ZnO纳米微粒在PANI上富集、PANI的光生载流子部分转移给ZnO微粒所致 .实验还发现分散在NaOH溶液中的同轴纳米线 ,其可见光发射谱带比AAO模板中同轴纳米线的谱带兰移更甚     

“Cell adhesion resistant,UV curable,polymer zinc oxide nanocomposite materials for intraocular lens application”

Foldable acrylic lenses are used for surgical replacement of diseased intraocular lens in treatment of cataract. One of the main postsurgical complications of this treatment method is postcapsular opacification caused by proliferating epithelial cells. The most common approach taken by research community to address this issue has been modification of lens surface with hydrophobic or hydrophilic moieties to manipulate surface cell interaction. In the present study, inherently cell repellent photopolymer resins are presented. Taking advantage of zinc oxide antiproliferative properties, its nanocomposite resins were made and investigated. Hydrophobically modified zinc oxide nanoparticles and poly(phenylethylacrylate‐co‐phenylethyl methacrylate) were made, and their nanocomposite films were prepared by UV polymerization. Films made with 5 wt% ZnO nanoparticles in them resisted fibroblast attachment substantially. In addition, these films filtered harmful UV light and showed other necessary properties like visible light transparency, glass transition temperatures, mechanical strength, and biocompatibility necessary for making intraocular lenses.