Microwave hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic activity of AgIn5S8 for the degradation of dye

AgIn₅S₈ powders were successfully synthesized by a microwave hydrothermal method for the first time. This method is a mild and highly efficient route involves no templates, catalysts, or surfactants. Therefore, it is very promising for the low-cost and large-scale industrial production. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of AgIn₅S₈ nanoparticles was investigated through the degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation. Compared with TiO_2−xN_x, AgIn₅S₈ has exhibited a superior activity under the same condition. A liquid chromatogram-mass spectrometer was used to separate and identify the dye and degradation products generated during the reaction. According to the experiment results, a possible mechanism for the degradation of organic pollutant over AgIn₅S₈ was proposed.     

Plasmon-resonance-enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity of Ag quantum dots/TiO2 microspheres for methyl orange degradation

We successfully prepared Ag quantum dots modified TiO₂ microspheres by facile solvothermal and calcination method. The as-prepared Ag quantum dots/TiO₂ microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The Ag quantum dots/TiO₂ photocatalyst showed excellent visible light absorption and efficient photocatalytic activity for methyl orange degradation. And the sample with the molar ratio of 0.05 (Ag to Ti) showed the best visible light photocatalytic activity for methyl orange degradation, mainly because of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects of Ag quantum dots to generate electron and hole pairs for enhanced visible light photocatalysis. Finally, possible visible light photocatalytic mechanism of Ag quantum dots/TiO₂ microspheres for methyl orange degradation was proposed in detail.     

Photoelectrochemical water splitting and simultaneous photoelectrocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant on highly smooth and ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays

The photoelectrochemical water splitting and simultaneous photoelectrocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant were achieved on TiO₂ nanotube electrodes with double purposes of environmental protection and renewable energy production under illumination of simulated solar light. The TiO₂ nanotube arrays (TiO₂ NTs) were fabricated by a two-step anodization method. The TiO₂ NTs prepared in two-step anodization process (2-step TiO₂ NTs) showed much better surface smoothness and tube orderliness than TiO₂ NTs prepared in one-step anodization process (1-step TiO₂ NTs). In the photoelectrochemical water splitting and simultaneous photoelectrocatalytic decomposition process, the 2-step TiO₂ NTs electrode showed both highest photo-conversion efficiency of 1.25% and effective photodecomposition efficiency with existing of methylene blue (MB) as sacrificial agent and as pollutant target. Those results implied that the highly ordered nanostructures provided direct pathway and uniform electric field distribution for effective charges transfer, as well as superior capabilities of light harvesting.     

Enhancement of ethanol electrooxidation on plasmonic Au/TiO2 nanotube arrays

Novel electrocatalysts Au/TiO₂ nanotube arrays (Au/TiO₂NTs) were prepared by loading low-content(1.9 at.%) of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto highly ordered TiO₂ nanotube arrays (TiO₂NTs). Ethanol electrooxidation indicates that visible-light (λ > 400 nm) irradiation can significantly enhance the activity as well as resistpoisoning of Au/TiO₂NTs electrocatalysts that are activated by plasmon resonance. Au/TiO₂NTs catalysts calcinated at 300 °C display the highest performance due to the strong synergistic interactions between TiO₂ and Au NPs. The combination of visible-light irradiation with a controllable potential offers a new strategyfor enhancing the performance of anodes in direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC).     

Fabrication and photocatalytic activity of high-efficiency visible-light-responsive photocatalyst ZnTe/TiO2 nanotube arrays

A new ZnTe modified TiO₂ nanotube (NT) array catalyst was prepared by pulse potential electrodeposition of ZnTe nanoparticles (NPs) onto TiO₂ NT arrays, and its application for photocatalytic degradation of anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (9-AnCOOH) was investigated. The even distribution of ZnTe NPs was well-proportionately grown on the top surface of the TiO₂ NT while without clogging the tube entrances. Compared with the unmodified TiO₂ NT, the ZnTe modified TiO₂ NT (ZnTe/TiO₂ NT) showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity towards 9-AnCOOH under simulated solar light. After 70 min of irradiation, 9-AnCOOH was degraded with the removal ratio of 45% on the bare TiO₂ NT, much lower than 80%, 90%, and 100% on the ZnTe/TiO₂ NT with the ZnTe NPs prepared under the pulsed “on” potentials of −0.8, −1.0, and −2.0 V, respectively. The increased photodegradation efficiency mainly results from the improved photocurrent density as results of enhanced visible-light absorption and decreased hole-electron recombination due to the presence of narrow-band-gap p-type semiconductor ZnTe.     

偏锡酸锌纳米微粒的水热法制备及其对甲基橙降解的光催化性能

以醋酸锌和氯化锡为原料,以聚甲基丙烯酸钠(PMA)为表面活性剂,利用水热法合成了偏锡酸锌(ZnSnO3)纳米微粒;采用X射线衍射仪、傅立叶变换红外光谱仪、扫描电镜等分析了ZnSnO3纳米微粒的晶相、表面组成、形貌;并测定了ZnSnO3纳米微粒对甲基橙溶液的光催化降解性能.结果表明,所得ZnSnO3纳米微粒粒径约为20nm,表面存在羧基;其对pH=2的甲基橙溶液的光催化降解效果较好,甲基橙的初始浓度越低,降解效果越明显;随着催化剂用量的增加,降解效率逐渐增大.此外,循环催化试验结果表明ZnSnO3纳米微粒具有较好的催化稳定性.     

Photoelectrochemical oxidation behavior of methanol on highly ordered TiO2 nanotube array electrodes

The highly ordered titanium dioxide nanotube array (HOTDNA) electrodes were prepared in hydrofluoric acid solution by electrochemical anodic oxidation technique on a pure titanium sheet. The HOTDNA electrodes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM microscopy, and UV–vis spectra. It has shown high density, well ordered and uniform titanium dioxide nanotube array film covered on these electrodes and the TiO₂ structure depending on the heating condition, the anatase phase of TiO₂ appeared when heating to 500 °C. The photoelectrochemical characteristics of methanol in 0.5 M Na₂SO₄ on the HOTDNA electrodes were investigated. The cyclic voltammetry, photocurrent-time and open-circuit photopotential response of methanol on the HOTDNA electrode were represented and significant photogenerated current was observed upon illumination in the UV regions with the light of 253.7 nm central wavelength. The effect of variables such as light intensity, applied potential, and methanol concentration on the photoelectrochemical response was investigated. It was found that the photocurrent was greatly influenced by these factors.     

Sonophotocatalytic activity of methyl orange over Fe(III)/TiO2

TiO₂ doped with Fe³⁺ was prepared by an impregnation technique and its sonophotocatalytic activity over methyl orange (MO) was investigated. The Fe/TiO₂ surface presented red shift to longer wavelength, resulting in a lower energy band gap. Fe loading of 0.1 wt% on TiO₂ provided the optimum degradation. The MO degradation rate constant under sonophotocatalytic conditions was 2.5 times higher than under photocatalytic conditions.     

可见光响应的Co3(PO4)2/Ag3PO4纳米复合光催化剂的制备及表征

采用简单的化学偏聚法合成出Ag₃PO₄纳米颗粒、磷酸钴（Co₃（PO₄）₂,CoP）纳米片以及它们两者的纳米复合结构（CoP/Ag₃PO₄）,同时还比较了它们的可见光催化活性. 采用场发射扫描电镜（FESEM）、X 射线衍射（XRD）、紫外-可见（UV-Vis）吸收光谱以及光致发光谱等手段对其形貌、结构、光学以及可见光催化性能等进行表征. 结果表明,CoP/Ag₃PO₄复合纳米结构的可见光降解甲基橙（MO）的速率和循环稳定性均明显优于其它两种物质. 这表明CoP应该起着共催化剂的作用,它能够抑制光生电子与空穴之间的复合,并且提供大量高活性的光生空穴. 此外,我们还发现CoP/Ag₃PO₄降解另一种阳离子型染料——罗丹明B（RhB）的能力则远不如纯Ag₃PO₄,这可能是与光催化剂的表面性质发生改变有关,造成更低的RhB吸附能力. 本文提供了一种廉价制备高效可见光催化剂的新方法.     

Template induced sol-gel synthesis of highly ordered LaNiO3 nanowires

The highly ordered LaNiO₃ nanowires of the rare-earth perovskite-type composite oxide were controlled synthesized within a porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by means of sol-gel method using nitrate as raw materials and citric acid as chelating agent. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the obtained LaNiO₃ nanowires had a uniform length and diameter, which were determined by the thickness and the pore diameter of the applied AAO template. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) indicated that the LaNiO₃ nanowires were perovskite-type crystalline structures. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy demonstrated that the stoichiometric LaNiO₃ was formed.     

Preparation and characterization of Zr doped TiO2 nanotube arrays on the titanium sheet and their enhanced photocatalytic activity

This paper described a new method for the preparation of Zr doped TiO₂ nanotube arrays by electrochemical method. TiO₂ nanotube arrays were prepared by anodization with titanium anode and platinum cathode. Afterwards, the formed TiO₂ nanotube arrays and Pt were used as cathode and anode, respectively, for preparation of Zr/TiO₂ nanotube arrays in the electrolyte of 0.1 M Zr(NO₃)₄ with different voltage and post-calcination process. The nanotube arrays were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and UV-Vis diffusion reflection spectra (DRS). The photocatalytic activities of these nanotubes were investigated with Rhodamine B as the model pollutant and the results demonstrated that the photocatalytic efficiency of Zr doped TiO₂ nanotubes was much better than that of TiO₂ nanotubes under UV irradiation. Zr/TiO₂ nanotube arrays doped at 7 V and calcined at 600 °C (denoted as TiO₂-7 V-600) achieved the best photocatalytic efficiency and the most optimal doping ratio was 0.047 (Zr/Ti). TiO₂-7 V-600 could be reused for more than 20 times and maintained good photocatalytic activities.     

Ag/质子化g-C3N4纳米棒材料的制备及其光催化降解性能

制备了 Ag 负载于质子化 g-C₃N₄(pCN)的纳米棒材料(Ag/pCN),对比了 g-C₃N₄(CN)、表面负载 Ag 的 CN(Ag/CN)、pCN 和 Ag/pCN在可见光条件下光催化降解亚甲蓝(MB)溶液的效果。结果表明,Ag/pCN光催化效率最高(92.63%),并且具有良好的稳定性;通过光电流-时间(I-t)曲线、Nyquist曲线、Mott-Schokkty曲线和捕获实验探究了Ag/pCN光催化降解MB的机理：虽然pCN的π共轭体系较CN发生变化,但由于形成了纳米棒,其比表面积的增加以及Ag负载的协同效应致使Ag/pCN具有优异的光催化性能。光催化过程中羟基自由基(·OH)是起主要作用的活性物质,其由光生电子(e^-)与表面吸附的 O₂反应产生以及光生空穴(h⁺)与H₂O或OH^-反应产生。     

Non-centrosymmetric Ba3Ti3O6(BO3)2

The compound previously reported as Ba₂Ti₂B₂O₉ has been reformulated as Ba₃Ti₃B₂O₁₂, or Ba₃Ti₃O₆(BO₃)₂, a new barium titanium oxoborate. Small single crystals have been recovered from a melt with a composition of BaTiO₃:BaTiB₂O₆ (molar ratio) cooled between 1100°C and 850°C. The crystal structure has been determined by X-ray diffraction: hexagonal system, non-centrosymmetric space group, a=8.7377(11) Å, c=3.9147(8) Å, Z=1, wR(F²)=0.039 for 504 unique reflections. Ba₃Ti₃O₆(BO₃)₂ is isostructural with K₃Ta₃O₆(BO₃)₂. Preliminary measurements of nonlinear optical properties on microcrystalline samples show that the second harmonic generation efficiency of Ba₃Ti₃O₆(BO₃)₂ is equal to 95% of that of LiNbO₃.     

氧缺陷型SnO2纳米颗粒可见光催化性能的研究

由简单的水热法合成了一种可高效降解有机染料的氧缺陷型Sn O2纳米颗粒新型光催化剂,用X射线衍射、透射电镜、高分辨透射电镜和紫外-可见分光光度计等手段对其结构及性能进行了表征。结果表明,所制备的催化剂的禁带宽度最小可达2.90e V,可实现对可见光的有效吸收利用,对甲基橙的降解反应具有很高的光催化活性。将该催化剂(1g/L)分散在10mg/L的甲基橙溶液中,可见光照射下,40min内甲基橙的降解率达99%以上。由于该催化剂具有合成方法简单、高效、成本低和反应条件温和等特点,为有效解决有机染料对环境的污染问题提供了一条新的途径。     

Z型CdIn2S4/ZnSnO3异质结的构筑及其光催化产氢性能

通过高温煅烧ZnSn(OH)₆前驱体制备了双壳中空立方体结构的ZnSnO₃(ZSO),进而采用水热法将CdIn₂S₄(CIS)纳米晶包裹在ZSO表面,成功制备了CdIn₂S₄/ZnSnO₃(CIS/ZSO)异质催化剂。活性产氢实验结果表明,CIS、ZSO物质的量之比为12%时制备的12% CIS/ZSO具有优异的光催化产氢性能,在3 h内产氢量为1 676.48 μmol·g^-1,分别是ZSO和CIS的12倍和8倍。ZSO光催化析氢反应活性的增强归因于CIS/ZSO异质结构的成功构建,异质界面的形成显著提高了光生电子/空穴对的分离效率,降低了其复合率。通过对电荷转移路径的分析,提出了可能的反应机理。     

Preparation and photocatalytic activity of Sb2S3/Bi2S3 doped TiO2 from complex precursor via gel-hydrothermal treatment

Sb₂S₃/Bi₂S₃ doped TiO₂ were prepared with the coordination compounds [M(S₂CNEt)₃] (M=Sb, Bi; S₂CNEt=pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate) as precursors via gel-hydrothermal techniques. The doped TiO₂ were characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS and UV-vis diffuse reflectance means. The photocatalyst based on doped TiO₂ for photodecolorization of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was examined. The optimal Bi₂S₃/Sb₂S₃ content, pH and different doped techniques have been investigated. Photocatalytic tests reveal that M₂S₃ doped TiO₂ via the gel-hydrothermal route performs better photocatalytic activity for photodegradation reaction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP).     

Graphene-modified TiO2 nanotube arrays as an adsorbent in micro-solid phase extraction for determination of carbamate pesticides in water samples

Graphene is a good adsorbent for organic pollutants, especially for compounds containing benzene rings. When used in TiO₂ nanotube arrays for micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE), the combination of graphene’s strong adsorptive properties with its good separation capabilities results in excellent sample preconcentration performance. In the present study, graphene-modified TiO₂ nanotube arrays were prepared by electrodeposition using a cyclic voltammetric reduction method. Four carbamate pesticides, including metolcarb, carbaryl, isoprocarb, and diethofencarb, were used as model analytes to validate the enrichment properties of the prepared adsorbent in μ-SPE. Factors affecting the enrichment efficiency of the μ-SPE procedure were optimized and included sample pH, elution solvents, salting-out effect, adsorption time and desorption time. Under optimal conditions, graphene-modified TiO₂ nanotube arrays exhibited excellent enrichment efficiency for carbamate pesticides. The detection limits of these carbamate pesticides ranged from 2.27 to 3.26 μg L⁻¹. The proposed method was validated using four environmental water samples, and yields of pesticides recovered from spiked test samples of the four analytes were in the range of 83.9–108.8%. These results indicate that graphene-modified TiO₂ nanotube arrays exhibit good adsorption to the target pollutants, and the method described in this work could be used as a faster and easier alternative procedure for routine analysis of carbamate pesticides in real water samples.     

钛铁矿制备二氧化钛-四氧化三铁复合材料及其光催化应用

TiO_2因具有多种优异的特性被广泛应用在半导体光催化领域,但是纳米结构的TiO_2颗粒细微,在进行光催化反应之后,难以回收再利用。本文以廉价钛铁矿为原料制备光催化剂TiO_2,同时利用副产物铁合成Fe_3O_4,并采用简单温和的浸渍法制备Fe_3O_4/TiO_2磁性复合材料。通过XRD、FT-IR、SEM、EDS等手段对材料形态结构进行表征分析,并以光降解有机污染物若丹明B为探针反应,考察其光催化性能。结果表明,质量比为1∶10的Fe_3O_4/TiO_2复合材料结构稳定、分散均匀,具有最优的光催化活性(波长356nm下反应3h,若丹明B降解率达到64.0%),并表现出良好的重复性。同时,动力学结果显示降解符合一级反应动力学。     

浸渍-分解法制备高可见光催化活性的Bi2O3/TiO2纳米管阵列

用浸渍-分解法将Bi₂O₃纳米颗粒沉积在TiO₂纳米管壁上, 制备了Bi₂O₃/TiO₂纳米管阵列. 用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱(ICP-AES)测定了Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ 纳米管阵列的化学组分, 利用X 射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)和紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱表征了所制备的样品. 通过在可见光下(λ>400 nm)降解甲基橙(MO)水溶液来评价样品的光催化活性. 结果表明, Bi₂O₃纳米颗粒均匀地沉积在TiO₂纳米管中. Bi₂O₃/TiO₂纳米管阵列具有比纯Bi₂O₃膜和N-TiO₂纳米管阵列高得多的可见光催化活性. Bi₂O₃/TiO₂纳米管阵列活性的增强是其强可见光吸收和Bi₂O₃与TiO₂之间形成的异质结的协同作用的结果.     

MoO3-C3N4复合光催化剂的可见光下高效催化降解甲基橙

以钼酸铵和C₃N₄为前驱体,利用浸渍法成功制备了高性能MoO₃-C₃N₄复合光催化剂,利用X射线衍射（XRD）、傅里叶红外（FT-IR）、高分辨电镜（HRTEM）及N₂吸附-脱附曲线等测试手段对所得MoO₃-C₃N₄光催化剂进行了结构和形貌表征。以可见光下光催化降解甲基橙反应表征MoO₃-C₃N₄的光催化活性。实验结果表明,MoO₃-C₃N₄光催化剂具有非常好的光催化降解性能,且MoO₃含量对反应活性产生显著影响。当MoO₃含量为1.6%（w/w）时光催化活性最好,其速率常数达到C₃N₄的50倍。通过研究发现该复合催化剂的高活性来自于其Z型光生载流子传输过程,抑制了光生电子空穴对的复合并延长了引入MoO₃产生的载流子的寿命。