Influence of transition metal-doped titanium(IV) dioxide on the photodegradation of polyethylene

The effects of adding dispersed powders of various forms of titanium(IV) dioxide on the photodegradation of polyethylene have been examined from the following points of view: effect of crystal form, concentration of pigment, transition metal ion, dopant concentration, calcination temperature of pigment, and pigment coating.The rate of photodegradation of polyethylene is reduced by adding certain grades of TiO₂ such as coated TiO₂ particles or TiO₂ doped with small percentages of Cr or Mn ions. The rate is increased on adding TiO₂ doped with V and especially Mo or W ions. The anatase form of TiO₂ is more photoactive than the rutile form, and the effect of increasing the calcination temperature of the pigment is to reduce photoactivity by boosting the rutile fraction. The concentration dependences of the degradation rates are complex, but can be directly related to the percentage of anatase achieved after calcination. Even the most aggressive of the metal-doped pigments are less photoactive than the Degussa P25 material, containing both rutile and anatase.     

Influence of transition metal-doped titanium(IV) dioxide on the photodegradation of polystyrene

The effects of adding dispersed powders of various forms of titanium(IV) dioxide on the photodegradation of polystyrene have been examined using FT-IR spectroscopy from the following points of view: effect of crystal form, concentration of pigment, transition metal ion, dopant concentration, calcination temperature of pigment, and pigment coating.The rate of photodegradation of polystyrene is reduced by adding certain grades of TiO₂ such as coated TiO₂ particles or TiO₂ doped with small percentages of Cr or Mn ions. The rate is increased on adding TiO₂ doped with V and especially Mo or W ions. The anatase form of TiO₂ is more photoactive than the rutile form, as is the effect of increasing the calcination temperature of the pigment. The concentration dependences of the degradation rates are complex, but can be directly related to the percentage of anatase achieved after calcination. Even the most aggressive of the metal-doped pigments are less photoactive than a Degussa P25 material, containing rutile and anatase.     

The rôle of commercial pigments in the photo-degradation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)

Two commercially produced pigments (fillers), CaCO₃ and TiO₂ (rutile type), were examined for their influence on the photo-degradation and photo-oxidation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). Both pigments decrease the rate of oxygen uptake and formation of hydroperoxy (OOH) and carbonyl (CO) groups during uv irradiation. They also decrease the amount of HCl evolved. TiO₂ increases the service life of mechanical properties of PVC samples much better than CaCO₃.     

The Influence of Defects on Mo‐Doped TiO2 by First‐Principles Studies

TiO₂ doped with transition metals shows improved photocatalytic efficiency. Herein the electronic and optical properties of Mo‐doped TiO₂ with defects are investigated by DFT calculations. For both rutile and anatase phases of TiO₂, the bandgap decreases continuously with increasing Mo doping level. The 4d electrons of Mo introduce localized states into the forbidden band of TiO₂, and this shifts the absorption edge into the visible‐light region and enhances the photocatalytic activity. Since defects are universally distributed in TiO₂ or doped TiO₂, the effect of oxygen deficiency due to oxygen vacancies or interstitial Mo atoms is systemically studied. Oxygen vacancies associated with the Mo dopant atoms or interstitial Mo will reduce the spin polarization and magnetic moment of Mo‐doped TiO₂. Moreover, oxygen deficiency has a negative impact on the improved photocatalytic activity of Mo‐doped TiO₂. The current results indicate that substitutional Mo, interstitial Mo, and oxygen vacancy have different impacts on the electronic/optical properties of TiO₂ and are suited to different applications.     

Direct View of Cr Atoms Doped in Anatase TiO2(001) Thin Film

Imaging the doping elements is critical for understanding the photocatalytic activity of doped TiO₂ thin film. But it is still a challenge to characterize the interactions between the dopants and the TiO₂ lattice at the atomic level. Here, we use high angle annular dark-field/annular bright-field scanning transmission electron microscope (HAADF/ABF-STEM) combined with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) to directly image the individual Cr atoms doped in anatase TiO₂(001) thin film from [100] direction. The Cr dopants, which are clearly imaged through the atomic-resolution EELS mappings while can not be seen by HADDF/ABF-STEM, occupy both the substitutional sites of Ti atoms and the interstitial sites of TiO₂ matrix. Most of them preferentially locate at the substitutional sites of Ti atoms. These results provide the direct evidence for the doping structure of Cr-doped A-TiO₂ thin film at the atomic level and also prove the EELS mapping is an excellent technique for characterizing the doped materials.     

Cr掺杂金红石相TiO2(110)单晶薄膜的制备、表征及光催化活性

采用脉冲激光沉积术(PLD)同质外延生长了表面原子级平整的6%(原子比)Cr 掺杂的金红石相TiO₂(110)单晶薄膜, 采用扫描隧道显微镜(STM)、扫描隧道谱(STS)、X 射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外光电子能谱(UPS)对其进行了表征. 结果表明: Cr 掺杂对TiO₂(110)-(1×1)表面的形貌没有明显影响, 但是提高了掺杂薄膜在负偏压的导电性; Cr与晶格O键合而呈现+3价态, 由此在TiO₂的价带顶上方~0.4 eV处引入杂质能级. 紫外-可见光吸收谱显示薄膜的光吸收能力被扩展到~650 nm, 处于可见光范围. 借助STM以单个甲醇分子的光解反应检测了薄膜的光催化活性. 仅观察到紫外光照射下甲醇分子的脱氢反应, 在可见光照射下(λ>430 nm)甲醇分子没有发生反应, 表明单独的Cr掺杂可能不足以提高TiO₂在可见光下的催化活性.     

The effect of Sn dopant on crystal structure and photocatalytic behavior of nanostructured titania thin films

In this study, preparation of Sn doped (0–30 mol % Sn) TiO₂ dip-coated thin films on glazed porcelain substrates via sol–gel process have been investigated. The effects of Sn content on the structural, optical, and photo-catalytic properties of applied thin films have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission SEM (FE-SEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Surface topography and surface chemical state of thin films were examined by atomic force microscope (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD patterns showed an increase in peak intensities of the rutile crystalline phase by increasing the Sn dopant. The prepared Sn-doped TiO₂ photo-catalyst films showed optical absorption edge in the visible light area and exhibited excellent photo-catalytic ability for degradation of methylene blue solution under UV irradiation. The result shows that doping an appropriate amount of Sn can effectively improve the photo-catalytic activity of TiO₂ thin films, and the optimum dopant amount is found to be 15 mol%. The Sn⁴⁺ dopants substituted Ti⁴⁺ in the lattice of TiO₂ and increased surface oxygen vacancies and the surface hydroxyl groups. TEM results showed small increase in planar spacing (was detected by HR-TEM caused by Sn dopants in titania based crystals).     

Temperatures and kinetics of anatase to rutile transformation in doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> heated in microwave field

The influence of aliovalent ions such as Mn, Cr, Fe, Mo, and V on the temperature and kinetics of anatase to rutile phase transformation in TiO₂ heated in microwave field was studied in this work. The results indicated that heat treatment method and dopants considerably affected the anatase-to-rutile phase transition temperature and kinetics of transformation. The activation energy for anatase to rutile transformation of TiO₂ derived from the isothermal data was found to be 328.4 kJ mol^–1, which was considerably reduced by the addition of dopants in TiO₂ matrix. The activation energy for Mo, Mn and V doped samples was 252.0, 101.3 and 96.4 kJ mol^–1, respectively.     

Effect of dopant concentration on photocatalytic activity of TiO2 film doped by Mn non-uniformly

The thin films of TiO₂ doped by Mn non-uniformly were prepared by sol-gel method under process control. In our preceding study, we investigated in detail, the effect of doping mode on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ films showing that Mn non-uniform doping can greatly enhance the activity. In this study we looked at the effect of doping concentration on the photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ films. In this paper, the thin films were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer and electrochemical workstation. The activity of the photocatalyst was also evaluated by photocatalytic degradation rate of aqueous methyl orange under UV radiation. The results illustrate that the TiO₂ thin film doped by Mn non-uniformly at the optimal dopant concentration (0.7 at %) is of the highest activity, and on the contrary, the activity of those doped uniformly is decreased. As a comparison, in 80 min, the degradation rate of methyl orange is 62 %, 12 % and 34 % for Mn non-uniform doping film (0.7 at %), the uniform doping film (0.7 at %) and pure titanium dioxide film, respectively. We have seen that, for the doping and the pure TiO₂ films, the stronger signals of open circuit potential and transient photocurrent, the better photocatalytic activity. We also discusse the effect of dopant concentration on the photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ films in terms of effective separation of the photon-generated carriers in the semiconductor.     

Structure and photocatalytic activity of Ti1?X MX O2 (M = Zr, Co and Mo) synthesized by pulverized solid state technique

A set of transition metal doped nanosized TiO₂ particles with anatase structure were synthesized by the pulverization method and their ability to photocatalytically degrade the dye Alizarin Red S was investigated. Characterization of the Zr-, Co- and Mo-doped photocatalysts was conducted with the aid of XRD, SEM, EDX, TEM, BET and spectral analysis. X-ray diffraction patterns did not reflect the appearance of any peaks due to dopants, however dopants were observed in SEM-EDX analysis. Particle sizes were in the range of 25 nm as per TEM and XRD analysis. Upon doping, a prominent decrease in surface area was observed. The percentage composition of each of the dopants was confirmed by EDX analysis. Doped samples depicted many mid-bands in the Kubelka Munk plots due to d-d transition of dopants. Experiments were conducted to compare the photocatalytic activity under identical UV and solar light exposure. Zr-doped TiO₂ at the molecular scale exhibited better photocatalytic activity in degradation of Alizarin, with a lower band-gap energy that can respond to visible light. However, Co- and Mo-doped TiO₂ appeared to suppress the photoactivity. A rise in the number of mid-bands causing effective separation or recombination of charge carriers strongly influences the rate of the degradation process.      

Fabrication of Predominantly Mn4+‐Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles under Equilibrium Conditions and Their Application as Visible‐Light Photocatalyts

The chemical state of a transition‐metal dopant in TiO₂ can intrinsically determine the performance of the doped material in applications such as photocatalysis and photovoltaics. In this study, manganese‐doped TiO₂ is fabricated by a near‐equilibrium process, in which the TiO₂ precursor powder precipitates from a hydrothermally obtained transparent mother solution. The doping level and subsequent thermal treatment influence the morphology and crystallization of the TiO₂ samples. FTIR spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicate that the manganese dopant is substitutionally incorporated by replacing Ti⁴⁺ cations. The absorption band edge can be gradually shifted to 1.8 eV by increasing the nominal manganese content to 10 at %. Manganese atoms doped into the titanium lattice are associated with the dominant 4+ valence oxidation state, which introduces two curved, intermediate bands within the band gap and results in a significant enhancement in photoabsorption and the quantity of photogenerated hydroxyl radicals. Additionally, the high photocatalytic performance of manganese‐doped TiO₂ is also attributed to the low oxygen content, owing to the equilibrium fabrication conditions. This work provides an important strategy to control the chemical and defect states of dopants by using an equilibrium fabrication process.     

Correlating conductivity and Seebeck coefficient to doping within crystalline and amorphous domains in poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxy)thiophene)

Molecular doping of conjugated polymers (CPs) plays a vital role in optimizing organic electronic and energy applications. For the case of organic thermoelectrics, it is commonly believed that doping CPs with a strong dopant could result in higher conductivity (σ) and thus better power factor (PF). Herein, by investigating thermoelectric performance of a polar side-chain bearing CP, poly(3-(methoxyethoxyethoxy)thiophene) (P3MEET), vapor doped with fluorinated-derivative of tetracyanoquinodimethane FnTCNQ (n = 1, 2, 4), we show that using strong dopants can in fact have detrimental effects on the thermoelectric performance of CPs. Despite possessing higher electron affinity, doping P3MEET with F4TCNQ only results in a σ (27.0 S/cm) comparable to samples doped with other two weaker dopants F2TCNQ and F1TCNQ (26.4 and 20.1 S/cm). Interestingly, F4TCNQ-doped samples display a marked reduction in the Seebeck coefficient (α) compared to F1TCNQ- and F2TCNQ-doped samples from 42 to 13 μV/K, leading to an undesirable suppression of the PF. Structural characterizations coupled with Kang-Snyder modeling of the α–σ relation show that the reduction of α in F4TCNQ-doped P3MEET samples originates from the generation of low mobility carrier within P3MEET's amorphous domain. Our results demonstrate that factors such as dopant distribution and doping efficiency within the crystalline and amorphous domains of CPs should play a crucial role in advancing rational design for organic thermoelectrics.     

Effects of doping La and Cu on photoinduced charge properties of TiO2 and its relationships with photocatalytic activity

The pure, 1 mol% only La or only Cu doped TiO₂ and La and Cu codoped TiO₂ were prepared by a sol-gel process. The effects of doping on photoinduced charge properties of nanosized TiO₂ were mainly investigated by means of Surface Photovoltage Spectrum (SPS) and Photoluminescence Spectrum (PL), together with their relationships with photocatalytic activity. The results show that La dopant can inhibit the phase transformation of TiO₂, meanwhile improve the separation rate of photoinduced charge carriers, and enrich the binding surface states. However, Cu dopant has a reverse effect compared to La dopant. This is responsible for the results that doping La is favorable for the increase in the photocatalytic activity for degrading the RhB solution, while doping Cu is bad to photocatalyitc reaction. In addition, codoping La and Cu cannot exhibit an obvious combination effect.     

Enhancing Photoactivity of TiO2(B)/Anatase Core–Shell Nanofibers by Selectively Doping Cerium Ions into the TiO2(B) Core

Cerium ions (Ce³⁺⁾ can be selectively doped into the TiO₂(B) core of TiO₂(B)/anatase core–shell nanofibers by means of a simple one‐pot hydrothermal treatment of a starting material of hydrogen trititanate (H₂Ti₃O₇) nanofibers. These Ce³⁺ ions (≈0.202 nm) are located on the (110) lattice planes of the TiO₂(B) core in tunnels (width≈0.297 nm). The introduction of Ce³⁺ ions reduces the defects of the TiO₂(B) core by inhibiting the faster growth of (110) lattice planes. More importantly, the redox potential of the Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ couple (E°(Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺)=1.715 V versus the normal hydrogen electrode) is more negative than the valence band of TiO₂(B). Therefore, once the Ce³⁺‐doped nanofibers are irradiated by UV light, the doped Ce³⁺ ions—in close vicinity to the interface between the TiO₂(B) core and anatase nanoshell—can efficiently trap the photogenerated holes. This facilitates the migration of holes from the anatase shell and leaves more photogenerated electrons in the anatase nanoshell, which results in a highly efficient separation of photogenerated charges in the anatase nanoshell. Hence, this enhanced charge‐separation mechanism accelerates dye degradation and alcohol oxidation processes. The one‐pot treatment doping strategy is also used to selectively dope other metal ions with variable oxidation states such as Co^2+/3+ and Cu^+/2+ ions. The doping substantially improves the photocatalytic activity of the mixed‐phase nanofibers. In contrast, the doping of ions with an invariable oxidation state, such as Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, or Mg²⁺, does not enhance the photoactivity of the mixed‐phase nanofibers as the ions could not trap the photogenerated holes.     

TiO2-, ZnO-, and CdS-photocatalyzed oxidation of ethylene-propylene thermoplastic elastomers

The ZnO-, TiO₂-, and CdS-photocatalyzed oxidations of an amorphous ethylene-propylene copolymer ( EP copolymer) containing 75% w/w of ethylene are described. In solid films exposed under polychromatic (λ > 300 nm) or monochromatic (λ = 365 nm) UV light, it is observed that the introduction of pigment (0.5–5% w/w) strongly modified the course of the photooxidation of a transparent sample. Ketonic and lactonic groups accumulate in the polymer matrix without being converted photochemically into acidic, ester, and vinyl groups. In the kinetic study it is pointed out that the variations of the rate of formation of carbonyl groups depend on the nature of the pigment. With highly photoactive pigments (ZnO and untreated TiO₂ RL11A), the rate is at first a decreasing function of the pigment percent, then an increasing function. With poorly photoactive pigments (treated TiO₂ RL90 and CdS), the rate of formation of carbonyl groups is a decreasing function of the pigment content. It is therefore emphasized that, at a low pigment content, the inner filter effect prevails over the photocatalytic influence with any pigment. It is also observed that the rate of formation of vinyl groups, photoproducts formed from the excited ketones, is a monotonously decreasing function of the pigment content. The complete inhibition of the ketone photochemistries is observed with ZnO in conditions in which the light is not absorbed by the pigment, suggesting that the carbonyl groups formed are adsorbed on the pigment.     

Enhancement of the catalytic performances and lifetime of Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for the steam toluene reforming via the combination of dopants: inspection of Cu,Co, Fe,Mn, and Mo species addition

In this work, the influence of metallic dopant addition in 10 wt % Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst on the material physico-chemical properties and catalytic activity for the toluene steam reforming was studied. Seventeen doped Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were synthesized by the sol–gel process. The aim of this study was to determine which elements were the most suitable for the doping of 10 wt % Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. The influence of the dopants was studied through different physico-chemical techniques. It appeared that some dopants showed lower catalytic performances due to high carbon deactivation. On the contrary, some dopants increased the resistance to coking while also improving the catalytic activity. Different mechanisms were proposed to explain these modifications of catalytic behavior. Among all doped Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts, the samples that combined Mn + Mo or Co + Mo dopants showed the best catalytic performances at 650 °C. Both samples showed high toluene reforming activity and low amounts of carbon deposit.     

(SiH)48X12 Heterofullerenes with the Group III and V Dopants: A DFT Prediction of Geometry,Stability, and Electronic Structure

We have applied DFT calculations to devise some (SiH)₄₈X₁₂ heterofullerenes with replacing of 12 Si–H units with a series of the group III and V dopants, P, N, As, B, Al and Ga, with the configuration of one dopant per pentagonal ring. Our results indicate that binding energies of heterofullerenes with group III dopants are smaller than those of heterfullerenes with group V dopants. Density of state obtained for the systems indicate a distinct change near the valence level compared to that of Si₆₀H₆₀, and a local energy level appears after the doping. (SiH)₄₈X₁₂ heterofullerenes with the group III and V dopants are composed of positively and negatively charged dopant atoms, each of which is surrounded by opposite charged Si atoms. The electrophilicity values of (SiH)₄₈X₁₂ heterofullerenes, except for (SiH)₄₈N₁₂, are greater than that of their parent. Because of the higher electronegativity of group V elements and electron transfer from the cages to the group V dopants, electrophilicity values for the (SiH)₄₈X₁₂ heterofullerenes with the group V dopants are always smaller than those of heterofullerenes with the group III dopants.     

Doped titanium dioxide nanocrystalline powders with high photocatalytic activity

Doped titanium dioxide nanopowders (M:TiO₂; M=Fe, Co, Nb, Sb) with anatase structure were successfully synthesized through an hydrothermal route preceded by a precipitation doping step. Structural and morphological characterizations were performed by powder XRD and TEM. Thermodynamic stability studies allowed to conclude that the anatase structure is highly stable for all doped TiO₂ prepared compounds. The photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized nanopowders was tested and the results showed an appreciable enhancement in the photoactivity of the Sb:TiO₂ and Nb:TiO₂, whereas no photocatalytic activity was detected for the Fe:TiO₂ and Co:TiO₂ nanopowders. These results were correlated to the doping ions oxidation states, determined by Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetization data.     

S-, N- and C-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization and redox charge transfer study

Herein we report on the synthesis and characterization of TiO₂ nanomaterials doped with anions like sulfur, carbon and nitrogen. Upon doping, the absorption extends well into the visible region. This shift in the absorption edge is accompanied by a concomitant narrowing of band gap. The resulting anion-doped TiO₂ nanomaterials were characterized by XRD, XPS, elemental analysis, EDAX, TEM, UV-DRS, DC conductivity, AC impedance and cyclic voltammetric studies. XPS confirms the presence of the dopants and the elemental analysis determined the amount of dopants in TiO₂. Electrochemical characterization was carried out by cyclic voltammetry at pHs 2, 6.5 and 10. As against the response of undoped TiO₂, the doped samples show an active electrochemical response indicating an induced charge transfer across the titania/solution interface, thus forming two anodic peaks and a cathodic peak. This interesting and significant observation was understood in terms of band bending due to anion doping as well as to the pH changes in the experimental solutions.     

Novel preparation of electrically conducting poly (vinyl chloride) by photo-dehydrochlorination from poly (vinyl chloride)/polypyrrole composite film

Polypyrrole (PPy) was deposited electrochemically on a platinum plate from a nitric acid solution of pyrrole. The PVC/PPy composite film was finally obtained by casting poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) onto the PPy electrode from a tetrahydrofuran solution of PVC. The prepared composite film was irradiated at 90°C with a low-pressure mercury lamp in the stream of hydrogen gas saturated with steam, and the PVC film was dehydrochlorinated, leading to the formation of conjugated polyene. The electrical conductivity (σ) of the PVC film in the irradiated composite film was reveled: σ=2.51 × 10^?5S cm^?1. By iodine doping, σ was further enhanced up to 5.04 X 10^?3 S cm^?1. The tensile strength of the irradiated composite film became larger than that of the original PVC film; i.e., the stress at break was: 461 (composite film); 401 kg cm^?2 (PVC). These results were brought about by the doping of radical species to the conjugated polyene. The anion, NO^?₃, doped during the electrodeposition of PPy was photodecomposed to generate radical NO₂ and this species was doped to the polyene, resulting in the formation of electrically conductive PVC and mechanically improved composite film. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.