Straightforward Synthesis of Mn3O4/ZnO/Eu2O3-Based Ternary Heterostructure Nano-Photocatalyst and Its Application for the Photodegradation of Methyl Orange and Methylene Blue Dyes

Zinc oxide-ternary heterostructure Mn₃O₄/ZnO/Eu₂O₃ nanocomposites were successfully prepared via waste curd as fuel by a facile one-pot combustion procedure. The fabricated heterostructures were characterized utilizing XRD, UV–Visible, FT-IR, FE-SEM, HRTEM and EDX analysis. The photocatalytic degradation efficacy of the synthesized ternary nanocomposite was evaluated utilizing model organic pollutants of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) in water as examples of cationic dyes and anionic dyes, respectively, under natural solar irradiation. The effect of various experimental factors, viz. the effect of a light source, catalyst dosage, irradiation time, pH of dye solution and dye concentration on the photodegradation activity, was systematically studied. The ternary Mn₃O₄/ZnO/Eu₂O₃ photocatalyst exhibited excellent MB and MO degradation activity of 98% and 96%, respectively, at 150 min under natural sunlight irradiation. Experiments further conclude that the fabricated nanocomposite exhibits pH-dependent photocatalytic efficacy, and for best results, concentrations of dye and catalysts have to be maintained in a specific range. The prepared photocatalysts are exemplary and could be employed for wastewater handling and several ecological applications.     

Band structure tuning of ZnO/CuO composites for enhanced photocatalytic activity

The toxic dye pigments, even in small quantities, can damage ecosystems. Removing organic, inorganic, and microbiological contaminants from wastewater via heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising method. Herein, we report the band structure tuning of ZnO/CuO nanocomposites to enhance photocatalytic activity. The nanocomposites were synthesized by a chemical approach using step-wise implantation of p-type semiconductor CuO to n-type semiconductor ZnO. Various characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and UV spectroscopy were used to investigate the crystal structure, surface morphology, elemental composition and optical properties of the synthesized samples. As the CuO content increased from 10% to 50% in ZnO/CuO nanocomposites, the optical bandgap decreased from 3.36 to 2.14 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated against the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible irradiation. Our study demonstrates a novel p–n junction oxide photocatalyst based on wt. 10% CuO/ZnO with superior photocatalytic activity. Effectively 66.6% increase in degradation rate was achieved for wt. 10% CuO/ZnO nanocomposite compared to pure ZnO nanoparticles.     

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%。     

Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic property of AgBr/BiPO4 heterojunction photocatalyst

A novel heterojunction AgBr/BiPO(4) photocatalyst was synthesized with the hydrothermal method. The photocatalyst was characterized by X-Ray powder Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectrscopy (XPS) and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). The XRD, SEM-EDS, TEM and XPS analyses indicated that the heterojunction structure formed during the process of hydrothermal treatment. The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts was evaluated by degradation of methylene blue dye (MB). The results indicated that the AgBr/BiPO(4) heterojunction exhibited a much higher photocatalytic activity than the pure BiPO(4). The mechanism of the enhancing AgBr/BiPO(4) heterojunction's photocatalytic activity was discussed. It was also found that the photocatalytic degradation of MB over AgBr/BiPO(4) heterojunction photocatalysts followed the pseudo-first-order reaction model.     

A Highly Efficient and Stable Photocatalyst; N-Doped ZnO/CNT Composite Thin Film Synthesized via Simple Sol-Gel Drop Coating Method

The thin film of N-doped ZnO/CNT nanocomposite was successfully fabricated on soda lime glass substrate by a simple sol-gel drop-coating method. The structural, morphological, chemical, and optical properties of as prepared samples were characterized by a variety of tools such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The hexagonal crystalline structure was confirmed from XRD measurement without any other impurity phase detection in samples. The N-doped ZnO/CNT composite showed excellent photo-catalytic activity towards cationic methylene blue (MB) dye degradation with 100% removal rate under UV light irradiation as compared to N-doped ZnO (65%) and pure ZnO (47.36%). The convincing performance has also been observed for the case of visible light irradiation. The enhancement of that photocatalytic activity might be due to narrowing the band gap as well as the reduction of electron–hole pair recombination in ZnO matrix with the incorporation of dopant nitrogen and CNT. It is assumed from the obtained results that N-doped ZnO/CNT nanocomposite thin film can be employed as an economically achievable and ecofriendly method to degrade dye with UV and visible light irradiation. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were applied to explore the effect of N-doping on electronic structure of ZnO. The computational study has supported the experimental results of significant band gap contraction, which leads to the maximum absorption towards higher wavelength and no appreciable change of lattice parameters after doping. A conceivable photocatalytic mechanism of N-doped ZnO/CNT nanocomposite has been proposed as well.     

Effect of carbon content on photocatalytic activity of C/TiO2 composite

A series of carbon-covered titania (CCT) were prepared via pyrolysis of sucrose highly dispersed on titania surface in flowing N₂. The samples were characterized by XRD, BET, DTA-TG, UV—Vis, and their photocatalytic properties were evaluated with two model pollutants, methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RB), at room temperature. The effect of carbon content on photocatalytic activity of the C/TiO₂ composite was investigated. It was found that the effect of carbon content is different for different pollutants or different light sources. For three tested samples, under UV illumination CCT01 has the highest activity for MB photocatalytic degradation, while in the case of RB, CCT02 is the most active photocatalyst. Under visible light illumination, CCT005 has the highest activity for both MB and RB photocatalytic degradation. Translated from Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2006, 27(1): (in Chinese)     

The photocatalytic,in vitro anthelmintic activity of biomolecule-inspired CDS nanoparticles

A simple biomolecule-inspired chemical procedure was adopted for the successful synthesis of cadmium sulphide nanoparticles (CdS-G and CdS-M) using glucose and maltose as capping agents. These nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy in order to evaluate their particle size, morphology, and optical properties. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) by CdS-G and CdS-M nanoparticles under visible light was estimated and the kinetics of photocatalytic degradation were compared by the evaluation of operational parameters viz., an amount of the photocatalyst, the pH of the solution, and concentration of the dye. The mechanism of generation of hydroxyl radicals on the surface of the CdS-G/M nanoparticles upon visible-light irradiation was confirmed by the terephthalic acid photoluminescence technique. The study of the effect of tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) and of a disodium salt of ethlyenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA-2Na) as scavengers, as well as photoluminescence measurements, revealed that HO^• and hole (h⁺) were the reactive species responsible for the degradation of MB. The anthelmintic activity of CdS-G/M nanoparticles was also evaluated.     

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.     

球磨法制备异质结型光催化剂ZnO/Bi_4Ti_3O_(12)及催化性能

本文用水作为分散介质,掺杂一定量的ZnO于Bi_4Ti_3O_(12)中,采用高能球磨法制备了异质结型光催化剂ZnO/Bi_4Ti_3O_(12).利用UV-Vis、XRD、SEM和PL等仪器对样品进行了分析与表征.以375 W中压汞灯为光源,通过对亚甲基蓝的氧化来研究其光催化活性.结果表明,对于光氧化亚甲基蓝(MB),异质结型光催化剂ZnO/Bi_4Ti_3O_(12)光催化活性高于钛酸铋的光催化活性.当ZnO的掺杂量分别是0.0和0.5wt.%,异质结型光催化剂ZnO/Bi_4Ti_3O_(12)对亚甲基蓝光氧化率分别达到50.2和80.3 %.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ce-doped ZnO Heterojunction Supported on Carbon Nanofibers with High Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

Ce/ZnO decorated carbon nanofibers(CNFs) heteroarchitectures(Ce/ZnO/CNFs) have been synthesized using electrospinning technique followed hydrothermal method, which have a high visible light photocatalytic activity. The samples were characterized by means of SEM, FTIR and XRD. The photocatalytic performance of Ce/ZnO/CNFs was tested with the methylene blue in the presence of visible light irradiation. In this work, we have analyzed the effects of Ce doping amount, initial methylene blue(MB) concentration and dosage of Ce/ZnO/CNFs on photocatalytic efficiency of the composite. The results showed that the photocatalyst containing 1.0% Ce in molarity(CZC1) obtained by autoclaving at 150℃ has the best photocatalytic degradation of MB than other as-synthesized samples. Ce/ZnO/CNFs catalysts exhibit a good stability and reusability, which would be an economical and environmentally friendly photocatalyst for various practical applications.     

Electrospinning preparation of NiO/ZnO composite nanofibers for photodegradation of binary mixture of rhodamine B and methylene blue in aqueous solution: Central composite optimization

One‐dimensional nanofiber of p‐type NiO/n‐type ZnO heterojunctions with various molar ratios of Ni to Zn at different calcination temperatures were successfully synthesized using the electrospinning method, and they were fully characterized. The photocatalysts thus obtained were applied in aqueous solutions for rhodamine B (RDB) and methylene blue (MB) degradation. The p–n heterojunctions built among the cubic structure NiO and hexagonal structure ZnO in the composite nanofiber are responsible for generation of electrons and holes and subsequently superoxide and hydroxyl radical production by carriers which lead to degradation of the dyes in solution. The composite nanofibers (ZnNi1) calcined at 550 °C for 3 h showed the highest photocatalytic activity for degradation of the dyes in aqueous solution. The optimum values were found to be 180 min, 7.0, 1 g l^?1 and 3.0 and 3.0 mg l^?1 for irradiation time, pH, photocatalyst dosage and initial concentration of RDB and MB, respectively. For these optimum conditions, the photocatalytic degradation of RDB and MB was found to be 99.37 and 98.44%, respectively. The maximum photodegradation of RDB and MB using ZnNi1 was 59.41 and 65.43%, respectively. First‐order kinetics based on the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model successfully fitted the experimental data.     

可见光下具有高光子效应和光催化活性的CuS-石墨烯氧化物/TiO2复合材料的制备（英文）

CuS-graphene oxide/TiO2 composites were prepared using a sol-gel method to improve the photocatalytic performance of the photocatalyst. The composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activities were examined by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation. The photodegradation of MB under visible-light irradiation reached 90.1% after 120 min. The kinetics of MB degradation was plotted alongside the values calculated from the Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation. The CuS-graphene oxide/TiO2 sample prepared using 0.2 mol of TiO2 showed the best photocatalytic activity. This was attributed to a cooperative reaction as a result of increased photoabsorption by graphene oxide and an increased photocatalytic effect by CuS.     

花状ZnO/ZnS异质结构的简易合成、结构表征及光催化活性

采用简便的两步溶液相化学方法,在较低温度下(80℃),制备出了花状的ZnO/ZnS异质结构。分别利用X射线衍射、X射线光电子能谱仪、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、紫外-可见光谱仪等测试手段对所制备的样品进行表征,结果表明ZnO/ZnS异质结构是由花状ZnO纳米结构和ZnS纳米粒子组成。在光降解罗丹明B(RhB)的测试中,ZnO/ZnS异质结构样品体现出了比ZnO前驱物和商业P25光催化剂更高的光催化效率,这主要可归因于异质结构更有利于电子-空穴的有效分离。ZnO/ZnS光催化剂体现出良好的循环稳定性。     

Improved photocatalytic degradation of reactive blue 81 using NiO-doped ZnO–ZrO2 nanoparticles

In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of Reactive Blue 81 (RB81) using synthesized NiO-doped ZnO–ZrO₂ nanoparticles under UV irradiation was investigated. Then, the products were characterized by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The removal rate of RB81 using ZnO–ZrO₂ after 180?min of irradiation was 96.7%. Nickel oxide (NiO) was used as an additive to ZnO–ZrO₂ for improvement of RB81 degradation via photocatalysis process. Photodegradation of RB81 was achieved to 100% using ZnO–ZrO₂–NiO nanoparticles with ratio of 1:2:0.3 after 180?min of irradiation. There was a red shift in absorption bands (from 410?nm to 435?nm) observed in increasing of NiO to ZnO–ZrO₂ nanoparticle, that it might lead to a higher photocatalytic activity under visible light. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used for optimization of experimental and these results were obtained: solution pH = 3, ZnO–ZrO₂–NiO dosage = 15?mg/L, and the initial RB81 concentration = 5?mg/L. The photodegredation of RB81 followed pseudo-first order kinetic according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model.     

ZnO-based ternary nanocomposite for decolorization of methylene blue by photocatalytic dynamic membrane

In this article, novel Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄/GO ternary nanocomposites were prepared via co-precipitation method by 1%w Ag, 50% w g-C₃N₄, 10% w GO concentration and applied in dynamic membranes. The characteristics of Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄/GO nanocomposite were evaluated by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray map, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photocatalyst. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was investigated under visible light. The photocatalytic efficiency of 93.43% for methylene blue degradation was obtained for Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄/GO nanocomposite after 50 min of irradiation, which was remarkably higher than that of pure ZnO, bare g-C₃N₄, Ag–ZnO, and Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄ at the same irradiation time. Likewise, in self-forming and pre-coated membranes, ternary nanocomposites can play a vital role in the membrane surface properties, as well as their decolorization performance. The rejection of methylene blue was 30% in pure polyethersulfone membrane, while the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄/GO nanocomposites was 88.46% and 98.86% after 10 and 15 min of irradiation in both self-forming and pre-coated dynamic membranes, respectively. Experimental results show that the dynamic membrane possesses a higher ability for degradation of MB in a shorter period of time than the static system.     

CPF/ZnO纳米复合催化材料的制备

通过原位聚合-热转化两步法,利用ZnO纳米微粒和糠醇(F)制备出了具有大共轭结构的高分子(CPF)和ZnO的纳米复合催化材料(CPF/ZnO);用TG-DTA、TEM、XRD、XPS、IR和UV-Vis等技术对其热稳定性、形貌、尺寸、结构及吸光特性等进行了表征,以亚甲基蓝(MB)溶液的催化降解研究了该材料在自然光条件下的催化性能。结果表明,由该方法可以得到平均尺寸约为 50 nm的CPF/ZnO纳米复合催化材料;其中的CPF为具有极性基团和大共轭结构的高分子;ZnO与CPF化学键合在一起;CPF的引入将ZnO的光谱响应拓展到了整个紫外-可见区,从而极大地改善了ZnO在自然光条件下的催化性能。如在460 ℃下处理40 min所得的纳米复合材料,在自然光条件下,10 min即可使MB溶液完全脱色,而在相同条件下,纯纳米ZnO仅能使MB的脱色率为10%左右;该催化材料重复使用3次仍可使MB溶液的脱色率保持在80%以上。     

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.     

Ag3PO4/MoS2纳米片复合催化剂制备及可见光催化性能

采用机械球磨法成功制备Ag₃PO₄/MoS₂纳米片复合催化剂。运用X射线衍射仪（XRD）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、紫外可见漫反射光谱（UV-Vis）和荧光发射光谱（PL）对复合催化剂的结构和形貌进行了表征。结果表明,Ag₃PO₄纳米粒子均匀地附着在MoS₂纳米片层结构上,两者形成紧密结合。以亚甲基蓝为模拟污染物,研究复合催化剂在可见光照射下的光催化特性;通过循环实验考察复合催化剂的稳定性。结果显示,含有1%的MoS₂纳米片与Ag₃PO₄形成的复合催化剂在30 min内对亚甲基蓝的降解率为95%,其降解动力学常数是纯相Ag₃PO₄的2倍。经过5次循环实验后复合催化剂对于亚甲基蓝的降解率为84%,而纯Ag₃PO₄对于亚甲基蓝的降解率仅为35%。Ag₃PO₄/MoS₂纳米片复合催化剂具有优良的光催化活性和高稳定性,主要归因于二硫化钼纳米片与磷酸银形成异质结,磷酸银激发的电子和二硫化钼纳米片产生的空穴直接复合,从而促使光生电子从磷酸银晶体表面快速分离,减轻了磷酸银的光电子腐蚀,同时也提高了复合物的光催化活性。     

球磨法制备复合光催化剂Bi12TiO20/ZnO及其光催化性能

本文用水作为分散介质,采用球磨法掺杂一定量的Bi₁₂TiO₂₀于ZnO中制备复合光催化剂Bi₁₂TiO₂₀/ZnO. 利用UV-Vis、XRD和SEM等仪器对样品进行了分析与表征. 通过对甲基橙的氧化来研究其光催化活性. 结果表明,光催化剂Bi₁₂TiO₂₀/ZnO对甲基橙氧化的催化活性高于氧化锌的催化活性.当Bi₁₂TiO₂₀的掺杂量为0.5%(质量分数),球磨时间为12 h,焙烧温度为300℃时,光照20 min后,复合光催化剂Bi₁₂TiO₂₀/ZnO对甲基橙的降解率可达到95.2%.     

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%.