Cooperative effect of Fe and Ti species over Fe–Ti–Ox catalysts on the catalytic hydrolysis performance of hydrogen cyanide

FeO_x, TiO₂, and Fe–Ti–O_x catalysts were synthesized and used in the catalytic hydrolysis of hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Nearly 100% HCN conversion was achieved at 250 °C over the Fe–Ti–O_x catalyst. TiO₂ rutile was detected over TiO₂, but not over Fe–Ti–O_x, which suggested that the interaction between Fe and Ti species could inhibit the TiO₂ phase transition. Furthermore, the interaction between Fe and Ti species over Fe–Ti–O_x could promote the selectivity of NH₃ and CO. The mechanism of hydrolysis of HCN over FeO_x, TiO₂, and Fe–Ti–O_x can be given as follows: HCN + H₂O → methanamide → ammonium formate → formic acid → H₂O + CO.     

Highly Efficient and Selective Oxidation of Ethanol to Acetaldehyde by a Hybrid Photocatalyst Consisting of SnO2 Nanorod and Rutile TiO2 with Heteroepitaxial Junction

Single-crystal SnO₂ nanorods were grown on rutile TiO₂ with a heteroepitaxial relation of SnO₂{001}/TiO₂{001} (SnO₂-NR#TiO₂) by a hydrothermal reaction. Resulting compressive lattice strain in the SnO₂-NR near the interface induces a continuous increase in the a-axis length extending over 60 nm to relax towards the [001] direction from the root to the tip. UV-light irradiation of the robust SnO₂-NR#TiO₂ stably progresses the selective oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde with an external quantum yield of 25.6 % at excitation wavelength (λ_ex)=365 nm under ambient temperature and pressure. Spectroscopic analyses and density functional theory simulation results suggested that the extremely high photocatalytic activity stems from the smooth interfacial electron transfer from TiO₂ to SnO₂-NR through the high-quality junction and subsequent efficient charge separation due to the lattice strain-induced unidirectional potential gradient of the conduction band minimum in the SnO₂-NR.     

Hierarchical chlorine-doped rutile TiO2 spherical clusters of nanorods: Large-scale synthesis and high photocatalytic activity

In this study, we report the synthesis of hierarchical chlorine-doped rutile TiO₂ spherical clusters of nanorods photocatalyst on a large scale via a soft interface approach. This catalyst showed much higher photocatalytic activity than the famous commercial titania (Degussa P25) under visible light (λ>420 nm). The resulting sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), nitrogen adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, ¹H solid magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. On the basis of characterization results, we found that the doping of chlorine resulted in red shift of absorption and higher surface acidity as well as crystal defects in the photocatalyst, which were the reasons for high photocatalytic activity of chlorine-doped TiO₂ under visible light (λ>420 nm). These hierarchical chlorine-doped rutile TiO₂ spherical clusters of nanorods are very attractive in the fields of environmental pollutants removal and solar cell because of their easy separation and high activity.     

Synthesis of 3D hierarchical porous TiO2/InVO4 nanocomposites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic properties

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous TiO₂/InVO₄ nanocomposites were fabricated by loading TiO₂ nanoparticles on the surface of porous InVO₄ microspheres. X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) were adopted to analyze the structure–property relationship of samples. The results show that the surface of as-prepared TiO₂/InVO₄ nanocomposites are composed of uniformly interconnected bi-phase nanocrystals, forming a close interface between these two components, which is favorable for the highly efficient interparticle electron transfer to achieve enhanced photocatalytic properties. However, the adsorption ability is decreased due to the loading of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the surface of InVO₄. Therefore, under the joint action of these factors, the TiO₂/InVO₄ nanocomposites achieve the best photocatalytic activity when the mole ratio of In:Ti reaches 4:1, and the visible-light photocatalytic activity is about as 3.3 times high as that of pure InVO₄ without modification.     

FeOx Coating on Pd/C Catalyst by Atomic Layer Deposition Enhances the Catalytic Activity in Dehydrogenation of Formic Acid

Hydrogen generation from formic acid (FA) has received significant attention.The challenge is to obtain a highly active catalyst under mild conditions for practical applications.Here atomic layer deposition (ALD) of FeO_x was performed to deposit an ultrathin oxide coating layer to a Pd/C catalyst,therein the FeO_x coverage was precisely controlled by ALD cycles.Transmission electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction measurements suggest that the FeO_x coating layer improved the thermal stability of Pd nanoparticles (NPs).X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement showed that deposition of FeO_x on the Pd NPs caused a positive shift of Pd3d binding energy.In the FA dehydrogenation reaction,the ultrathin FeO_x layer on the Pd/C could considerably improve the catalytic activity,and Pd/C coated with 8 cycles of FeO_x showed an optimized activity with turnover frequency being about 2 times higher than the uncoated one.The improved activities were in a volcanoshape as a function of the number of FeO_x ALD cycles,indicating the coverage of FeO_x is critical for the optimized activity.In summary,simultaneous improvements of activity and thermal stability of Pd/C catalyst by ultra-thin FeO_x overlayer suggest to be an effective way to design active catalysts for the FA dehydrogenation reaction.     

New synthesis of excellent visible-light TiO2−xNx photocatalyst using a very simple method

An excellent visible-light-responsive (from 400 to 550 nm) TiO_2−xN_x photocatalyst was prepared by a simple wet method. Hydrazine was used as a new nitrogen resource in this paper. Self-made amorphous titanium dioxide precursor powders were dipped into hydrazine hydrate, and calcined at low temperature (110 °C) in the air. The TiO_2−xN_x was successfully synthesized, following by spontaneous combustion. The photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrometer (DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Analysis of XPS indicated that N atoms were incorporated into the lattice of the titania crystal during the combustion of hydrazine on the surface of TiO₂. Ethylene was selected as a target pollutant under visible-light excitation to evaluate the activity of this photocatalyst. The newly prepared TiO_2−xN_x photocatalyst with strong photocatalytic activity and high photochemical stability under visible-light irradiation was firstly demonstrated in the experiment.     

Facile synthesis of C-decorated Fe,N co-doped TiO2 with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity by a novel co-precursor method

Lattice-doping and surface decoration are prospective routes to improve the visible-light photocatalytic ability of TiO₂, but the two techniques are difficult to combine into one preparation process because they are usually conducted under different conditions, which limits the efficiency of TiO₂ modification. In this study, TiO₂ was successfully modified by simultaneous lattice-doping and surface decoration, and the visible-light photocatalytic capacity was largely improved. Upon comparing the method reported here with previous ones, the most significant difference is that Fe(II)-phenanthroline was first used as the co-precursor of the introduced elements of C, N, and Fe. These three elements were simultaneously introduced to TiO₂ at high levels by this co-precursor method. The as-synthesized photocatalysts were systemically investigated and analyzed by several characterization methods such as XRD, FT-IR, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, EPR, UV-Vis DRS, photoluminescence spectra, photocurrent, electrochemical impedance spectra, TEM, and HRTEM. The photocatalytic degradation of 4-NP under visible-light irradiation was used to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts. Based on the experimental data, a probable mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation by the photocatalysts is proposed. This is a novel method of using one source to simultaneously introduce metal and non-metal elements to TiO₂ at high levels, which may provide a new way to prepare highly effective TiO₂ photocatalysts.     

二氧化钛与针铁矿复合光催化材料的制备与光催化性能

以四氯化钛为钛源,针铁矿(α-FeOOH)为载体,采用水解沉淀法制备了金红石相二氧化钛(Ti₂O)与α-FeOOH的复合光催化材料,并采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、X射线能量散射谱和X射线光电子能谱对样品进行了表征.结果表明,低温下,金红石相Ti₂O包覆于α-FeOOH表面,并形成复合结构;较高温下,铁离子进入金红石相Ti₂O晶格,并形成铁掺杂金红石相Ti₂O纳米管;中温下,样品兼有复合和掺杂两者特征.在室温下以甲基橙为降解对象,采用钨灯+氘灯(波长200~800nm)为光源,对样品的光催化活性进行了测试.结果表明,样品对甲基橙的光催化降解效果良好;与纯α-FeOOH和金红石相Ti₂O相比,不同结构样品的光催化活性均有所提高,其中,复合兼掺杂型样品的光催化活性最高.由此可见,与α-FeOOH复合和铁掺杂是提高Ti₂O光催化活性的有效途径.     

TiO2晶相对MnOx/TiO2催化剂催化NO氧化性能的影响

以浸渍在不同晶相TiO₂ （金红石型（R）、锐钛矿型（A）和P25型（P））上的锰基催化剂为对象,研究了TiO₂晶相对MnO_x/TiO₂催化剂催化NO氧化活性的影响。 结果表明,MnO_x/TiO₂（P）催化剂活性最高,NO转化率在300℃及GHSV = 20000 h^-1条件下可达83%。 各催化剂活性顺序为MnO_x/TiO₂（P）>MnO_x/TiO₂（A）>MnO_x/TiO₂（R）。采用X射线粉末衍射、场发射扫描电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱、H₂程序升温还原和O₂程序升温脱附等手段研究了TiO₂晶相影响MnO_x/TiO₂催化剂催化活性的作用机理。结果表明,相比于A和R型TiO₂,P型TiO₂能够增加MnO_x在其表面的分散度并抑制催化剂颗粒的团聚和粘连,且更有利于Mn₂O₃的生成,而后者催化NO氧化活性比其它MnO_x更高;此外,P型TiO₂可以增加MnO_x尤其是Mn₂O₃的还原性,并可促进O₂^-从M³⁺-O键的脱附。     

晶相组成可调的高活性可见光应答型二氧化钛纳米复合光催化材料的制备

采用新的化学溶液法,通过不同体积的钛酸四异丙酯的2-乙二醇单乙醚溶液与一定浓度的H₂O₂水溶液直接反应并对生成的钛过氧化配合物进行焙烧,制备了一系列TiO₂光催化剂. 表征发现,所得TiO₂样品为金红石和锐钛矿的纳米复合晶体,改变2-乙二醇单乙醚的体积可实现金红石相比例在0~96%广范围的调变.与商业二氧化钛P-25相比,所得的TiO₂紫外-可见光吸收谱出现明显红移,间隙能降低, 在可见光照射下,该样品对亚甲基蓝有良好的降解活性. 当2-乙二醇单乙醚的添加量为5 ml时,所得样品体相中金红石相比例接近50%,其光催化活性和吸附性能最好,可分别是P-25的3倍和5倍. 拉曼光谱结合X射线衍射等表征结果表明,该样品的表面仅含少量的金红石相. TiO₂纳米复合晶表面晶相的组成和分布对其光催化降解亚甲基蓝的活性及其吸附能力有直接的影响. 另外,TiO₂纳米复合晶的缺陷浓度也是增强其光吸收能力,提高其可见光光催化活性的原因之一.     

玻璃微珠/Ag/TiO2可见光催化剂的制备与表征

通过离子交换法将Ag纳米颗粒负载于玻璃微珠的表面及浅表层,并以钛酸四丁酯的乙醇溶液为前驱体,将TiO₂负载于包含银的玻璃微珠表面,制得一种玻璃微珠/Ag/TiO₂复合光催化剂。由于纳米银的表面等离子体吸收效应,该复合光催化剂具有一定的可见光响应特性。利用XRD、SEM对样品进行表征,可发现玻璃微珠表面形成一层均匀多孔的锐钛矿TiO₂,其粒径均在50 nm左右。由漫反射光谱可得出该催化剂具有较强的可见光吸收,并在降解甲基橙溶液的试验中表现出较好的可见光催化活性。     

单晶二氧化钛纳米棒阵列的修饰及其在量子点敏化太阳电池中的应用(英文)

使用TiCl4溶液对单晶TiO2纳米棒阵列(TNRs)进行修饰,通过在TiO2纳米棒表面合成TiO2纳米颗粒来提高TNRs的表面积,提高TNRs对量子点的吸附能力,并在此基础上研究了TiCl4修饰时间对基于单晶TNRs的CdS/CdSe量子点敏化太阳电池光伏性能的影响,同时结合强度调制光电流谱(IMPS)研究了TiO2纳米棒阵列的电子传输性能.结果表明:TiCl4修饰可以大幅提高基于单晶TNRs的CdS/CdSe量子点敏化太阳电池的光伏性能,在TiCl4修饰时间为60 h时,其短路电流密度和光电转换效率分别由修饰前的(2.93±0.07)mA·cm-2和0.36%±0.02%提高至(8.19±0.12)mA·cm-2和1.17%±0.07%.同时,IMPS测试表明电子在单晶TiO2纳米棒阵列中的传输速率高于在TiO2纳米颗粒薄膜中的传输速率,证明了单晶TiO2纳米棒阵列在电子传输方面的优越性.     

Preparation and photocatalytic activity of high-efficiency visible-light-responsive photocatalyst SnSx/TiO2

Visible-light-responsive composite photocatalysts SnS₂/TiO₂ and SnS/TiO₂ with different mass ratios were prepared by in-situ synthesis technology in solution with commercial TiO₂. The junction-based materials SnS_x (x=1, 2)/TiO₂ were found to have high visible-light photocatalytic performance and possess much better activity than the single-phase SnS_x or TiO₂. The greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity of the SnS_x/TiO₂ composites was mainly attributed to the matching band potentials and efficient charge transfer and separation at the tight-bonding interface between SnS_x and TiO₂. The fact was confirmed by the comparison of photocatalytic activities of the SnS₂/TiO₂ samples prepared by physical mixing method and in-situ synthesis technique.     

The influence of concentration of doping elements on anatase–rutile transformation at the synthesis of rutile pigments (Ti,Cr,Nb)O2 and their pigmentary properties

An analysis of the effects of dopants concentration and different starting titanium compounds on the anatase to rutile phase transformation at the synthesis of rutile pigments Ti_1?3xCr_xNb_2xO_2±δ is presented in this study. The main goal was to analyze reaction mixtures for x = 0.05 (previous study) and 0.30 by simultaneous TG–DTA analysis and to determine the temperature of anatase–rutile transition. For x = 0.05, initial temperatures 760–830 °C are needful for a formation of rutile structure. The temperature is the lowest for the hydrated Na₂Ti₄O₉ paste (760 °C) and similar for other starting compounds of titanium. But for x = 0.30, the anatase–rutile transition begins at higher temperatures 910–1,030 °C because of high-Nb content, which is the inhibitor of this modification change. In addition, we found the influence of calcination temperatures (850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, and 1150 °C) on color properties and particle size distribution of these materials prepared from anatase TiO₂ and with x = 0.30. Selected pigments were also analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction.     

Preparation of Ag deposited TiO2 (Ag/TiO2) composites and investigation on visible-light photocatalytic degradation activity in magnetic field

In this study, Ag deposited TiO₂ (Ag/TiO₂) composites were prepared by three different methods (Ultraviolet Irradiation Deposition (UID), Vitamin C Reduction (VCR) and Sodium Borohydride Reduction (SBR)) for the visible-light photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in magnetic field. And then the prepared Ag deposited TiO₂ (Ag/TiO₂) composites were characterized physically by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The visible-light photocatalytic activities of these three kinds of Ag deposited TiO₂ (Ag/TiO₂) composites were examined and compared through the degradation of several organic dyes under visible-light irradiation in magnetic field. In addition, some influence factors such as visible-light irradiation time, organic dye concentration, revolution speed, magnetic field intensity and organic dye kind on the visible-light photocatalytic activity of Ag deposited TiO₂ (Ag/TiO₂) composite were reviewed. The research results showed that the presence of magnetic field significantly enhanced the visible-light photocatalytic activity of Ag deposited TiO₂ (Ag/TiO₂) composites and then contributed to the degradation of organic dyes.     

Computational investigation of the adsorption and reactions of SiHx (x = 0–4) on TiO2 anatase (101) and rutile (110) surfaces

The adsorption and reactions of the SiH_x (x = 0–4) on Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) anatase (101) and rutile (110) surfaces have been studied by using periodic density functional theory in conjunction with the projected augmented wave approach. It is found that SiH_x (x = 0–4) can form the monodentate, bidentate, or tridentate adsorbates, depending on the value of x. H coadsorption is found to reduce the stability of SiH_x adsorption. Hydrogen migration on the TiO₂ surfaces is also discussed for elucidation of the SiH_x decomposition mechanism. Comparing adsorption energies, energy barriers, and potential energy profiles on the two TiO₂ surfaces, the SiH_x decomposition can occur more readily on the rutile (110) surface than on the anatase (101) surface. The results may be used for kinetic simulation of Si thin‐film deposition and quantum dot preparation on titania by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced CVD, or catalytically enhanced CVD. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Thermal and hydrothermal stability of flame hydrolytically synthesized SiO2/TiO2 mixed oxides

The phase stability of the two TiO₂ modifications (anatase and rutile) in fumed SiO₂/TiO₂ nano-composites (0–24.8 wt-% silica) under thermal and hydrothermal conditions was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and gas adsorption methods (BET). The results show that the phase transformation from anatase to rutile type of structure and the growth of anatase crystallites are significantly retarded by mixing small amounts of SiO₂ into TiO₂, while the specific surface area is maintained. The SiO₂/TiO₂-composites reveal a remarkable shift in the anatase to rutile transformation temperature from approx. 500 °C (pure TiO₂) to approx. 1000 °C (samples with SiO₂ contents of more than 10%). The rate of phase transformation from anatase to rutile is enhanced under hydrothermal conditions compared to conventional thermal treatment, e.g. pure titania (AEROXIDE^® TiO₂ P25) annealed under hydrothermal conditions (100 g/m³ absolute humidity, 4 h at 600 °C) had a rutile content of 85%, while the same specimens annealed in absence of humidity contained only 46% rutile. However, the difference in rate of phase transformation became less pronounced when the silica content in SiO₂/TiO₂-composites was further increased.TEM results showed that the surface of the anatase crystallites was covered with silica. This averts coalescence of anatase crystallites and keeps them under a critical size during the annealing process. When the crystal domains grew larger, a rapid conversion to rutile took place. The critical size of anatase crystallites for the phase transformation was estimated to be 15–20 nm.     

Pt deposited TiO2 catalyst fabricated by thermal decomposition of titanium complex for solar hydrogen production

C, N codoped TiO₂ catalyst has been synthesized by thermal decomposition of a novel water-soluble titanium complex. The structure, morphology, and optical properties of the synthesized TiO₂ catalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the Pt deposited TiO₂ catalysts synthesized at different temperatures was evaluated by means of hydrogen evolution reaction under both UV–vis and visible light irradiation. The investigation results reveal that the photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate strongly depended on the crystalline grain size as well as specific surface area of the synthesized catalyst. Our studies successfully demonstrate a simple method for the synthesis of visible-light responsive Pt deposited TiO₂ catalyst for solar hydrogen production.     

Synthesis of iron-containing nitrogen-doped titania by hydrothermal method and its photocatalytic activity

By a hydrothermal method, iron and nitrogen co-doped TiO₂ and iron oxide impregnated nitrogen-doped TiO₂ were prepared. The obtained Fe and N co-doped TiO₂ showed mixed anatase, rutile, and brookite phases, and high specific surface areas above 160 m²/g. The Fe co-doping was proved to be effective to enhance the visible light absorption ability; however, the photocatalytic activity in deNO _x experiment decreased due to the increase in the amount of lattice vacancy. On the other hand, the photocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO₂ was improved by the impregnation of iron oxide.     

SiO2/TiO2-xCx/C的制备、表征及其吸附和可见光催化性能

以SiO2为成核中心,钛酸四丁酯为钛源,分别以多羟基化合物乙二醇、丙三醇、葡萄糖和聚乙烯醇为联接剂,采用水解沉淀法制备了碳掺杂和包覆的多孔SiO2/TiO2-xCx/C可见光响应型光催化剂。采用X-射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X-射线光电子能谱(XPS)、傅里叶变换-红外光谱(FTIR)、比表面积(BET)和紫外-可见(UV-Vis)漫反射光谱对样品进行表征。对不同结构样品的形成机理进行了分析。以次甲基蓝(MB)溶液为模拟废水,对样品的吸附性能和可见光催化性能进行了评价。结果表明,多羟基化合物对材料的结构和性能有重要影响。碳的掺杂和包覆使材料的吸收光谱包含了整个可见光区,而多孔结构使材料的吸附性能得到提高。以聚乙烯醇为原料所得样品吸附性能最好,30 min内吸附率达到70%;而以丙三醇为原料所得样品具有最好的可见光催化性能,40 min内次甲基蓝的降解率达到95%。