Controlled synthesis, growth mechanism and highly efficient solar photocatalysis of nitrogen-doped bismuth subcarbonate hierarchical nanosheets architectures

The synthesis and self-assembly of hierarchical architectures from nanoscale building blocks with unique morphology, orientation and dimension have opened up new opportunities to enhance their functional performances and remain a great challenge. This work represents tunable synthesis of various types of 3D monodisperse in situ N-doped (BiO)(2)CO(3) hierarchical architectures composed of 2D single-crystal nanosheets with dominant (001) facets by a one-pot template-free hydrothermal method from bismuth citrate and ammonia solution. Depending on the concentration of ammonia solution, the morphology of N-doped (BiO)(2)CO(3), including dandelion-like, hydrangea-like and peony flower-like microspheres, can be selectively constructed due to different self-assembly patterns of nanosheets. It was revealed that the ammonia played dual roles in the formation of N-doped (BiO)(2)CO(3) architectures. One is to hydrolyze bismuth citrate, and the other is to behave as a nitrogen doping source. The in situ doped nitrogen substituted for oxygen in (BiO)(2)CO(3) and subsequently narrowed the band gap, making N-doped (BiO)(2)CO(3) visible light active. Due to the special nanosheets architectures, the prepared various N-doped (BiO)(2)CO(3) materials exhibited especially efficient photocatalytic activity and high durability for the removal of NO in air under both visible and UV light irradiation. Based on the direct observation of the growth process with respect to phase structure, chemical composition and morphological structure, a novel growth mechanism is revealed, which involves a unique multistep pathway, including reaction-nucleation, aggregation, crystallization, dissolution-recrystallization, and Ostwald ripening. The facile synthesis approach and the proposed growth mechanism could provide new insights into the design and controlled synthesis of inorganic hierarchical materials with new or enhanced properties.     

(BiO)2CO3-Bi-TiO2复合纳米纤维制备及其光催化降解抗生素

以静电纺丝制备的TiO₂纳米纤维为基质,葡萄糖为还原剂,在不同的酸碱环境中,采用一步水热法可控合成了异质结型Bi-TiO₂、(BiO)₂CO₃-TiO₂和(BiO)₂CO₃-Bi-TiO₂复合纳米纤维光催化剂。通过X射线粉末衍射(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)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)和光致发光光谱(PL)等对样品进行表征。以洛美沙星、环丙沙星和诺氟沙星为目标污染物,研究了TiO₂及其复合纳米纤维的光催化降解性能,并探究其降解反应机理。结果表明,(BiO)₂CO₃-Bi-TiO₂光催化活性最高,模拟太阳光照60 min,对诺氟沙星、洛美沙星和环丙沙星的降解率分别达到93.2%、97.5%和100%。     

One-pot, solvothermal synthesis of TiO(2)-graphene composite nanosheets

In this article, we propose a facile one-pot solvothermal route for synthesizing TiO(2)-graphene composite nanosheets (TGCN). In the system, ethylene glycol not only as a reducing agent can convert graphene oxide to reduced graphene oxide nanosheets, but also is employed to control the hydrolysis and condensation rates of tetrabutoxytitanium. The obtained TGCN hybrid materials are characterized by atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermal gravimetric analysis. It is found that the quantity of H(2)O used in the reaction is the key to obtain high-quality product. The photocatalytic activities of the products are evaluated using the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) as a probe reaction. The results showed that the obtained TGCN have an enhanced adsorption capacity and remarkable improvements in the photodegradation rate of MB under visible light compared to P25.     

Facile synthesis and photocatalytic properties of AgAgClTiO2/rectorite composite

In this study, we prepared a new visible light induced plasmonic photocatalyst AgAgClTiO(2)/rectorite using a facile deposition-photoreduction method. The catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible diffused reflectance spectra (UV-vis DRS), Raman spectra, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The as-prepared AgAgClTiO(2)/rectorite powders exhibited an efficient photocatalytic activity for the degradation of acid orange (ARG) and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) under visible light irradiation (λ>400 nm). Moreover, the mechanism suggested that the high photocatalytic activity is due to the charge separation and the surface plasmon resonance of metallic Ag particles in the region of visible light. The active species measurements suggested that HO() is not the dominant photooxidant. Direct hole transfers and O(2)(-) were involved as the active species in the photocatalytic reaction.     

ZnO/graphene-oxide nanocomposite with remarkably enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance

In this work, a high-performance photocatalyst of ZnO/graphene-oxide (ZnO/GO) nanocomposite was synthesized via a facile chemical deposition route and used for the photodegradation of organic dye from water under visible light. The nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller N(2) adsorption-desorption analysis, and UV-Vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy. The ZnO/GO nanocomposite consisting of flower-like ZnO nanoparticles anchored on graphene-oxide sheets has a high surface area and hierarchical porosity, which is benefit to the adsorption and mass transfer of dye and oxygen species. For the photodegradation of organic dyes under visible light, ZnO/GO nanocomposite exhibited remarkably enhanced photocatalytic efficiency than graphene-oxide sheets and flower-like ZnO particles. Moreover, the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO/GO nanocomposite could be further improved by annealing the product in N(2) atmosphere. The outstanding photocatalytic performance was ascribed to the efficient photosensitized electron injection and repressed charge carriers recombination in the composite with GO as electron collector and transporter, thus leading to continuous generation of reactive oxygen species for the degradation of methylene blue.     

Synthesis of BiVO_4 nanosheets-graphene composites toward improved visible light photoactivity

Two-dimensional （2-D） BiVO4 nanosheets-graphene （GR） composites with different weight addition ratios of GR have been prepared via a facile wet chemistry process. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectra （XPS）, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra （DRS）, field-emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, transient photocurrent response and photoluminescence （PL） spectra were employed to determine the properties of the samples. It is found that BiVO4 nanosheets could pave well on the surface of graphene sheets. BiVO4 nanosheets-GR composites with a proper addition amount of GR exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than bare BiVO4 nanosheets toward liquid-phase degradation of rhodamine B （RhB） and methyl orange （MO） under visible light irradiation. The enhancement of photocatalytic activities of BiVO4 nanosheets-GR composites can be attributed to the effective separation of photoexcited electron-hole pairs. This work not only provides a simple strategy for fabricating specific 2-D semiconductor-2-D GR composites, but also opens a new window of such 2-D semiconductor-2-D GR composites as visible light photocatalysts toward an improved visible light photoactivity in purifying polluted water resources.     

以花瓣为模板制备TiO2分层介孔纳米片

以月季花花瓣为模板, 经钛盐溶液浸渍后煅烧, 合成了新型TiO2 分层介孔纳米片. 采用X射线衍射(XRD)、 场发射扫描电子显微镜(FESEM)、 环境扫描电子显微镜(ESEM)、 透射电子显微镜(TEM)、 紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis/DRS)和氮气吸附-脱附曲线分析等手段对样品进行了表征. 结果表明, 所得样品由厚度约4 nm的具有生物形态结构的锐钛矿型TiO2 纳米片组成. TiO2 薄层表面存在大量介孔, 其孔径集中分布于4 nm左右. 由紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱可知, 材料的吸收边较纳米TiO2 (P25)红移了约20 nm, 因而具有更高的可见光光催化活性. TiO2 分层介孔纳米片在阳光下表现出较强的光催化活性, 在90 min内对亚甲基蓝的降解率可达98%, 远高于TiO2 纳米粉.     

One-pot hydrothermal synthesis of willow branch-shaped MoS2/CdS heterojunctions for photocatalytic H2 production under visible light irradiation

Willow branch-shaped MoS₂/CdS heterojunctions are successfully synthesized for the first time by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemical and photoluminescence spectroscopy tests. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activities of the samples were evaluated under visible light irradiation. The resulting MoS₂/CdS heterojunctions exhibit a much improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity than that obtained with CdS and MoS₂. In particular, the optimized MC-5 (5 at.% MoS₂/CdS) photocatalyst achieved the highest hydrogen production rate of 250.8 μmol h^-1, which is 28 times higher than that of pristine CdS. The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) at 420 nm was 3.66%. Further detailed characterizations revealed that the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the MoS₂/CdS heterojunctions could be attributed to the efficient transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers resulting from the core-shell structure and the close contact between MoS₂ nanosheets and CdS single-crystal nanorods, as well as to increased visible light absorption. A tentative mechanism for photocatalytic H₂ evolution by MoS₂/CdS heterojunctions was proposed. This work will open up new opportunities for developing more efficient photocatalysts for water splitting.     

Construction of 3D hierarchical SnO2 microspheres from porous nanosheets towards NO decomposition

Three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical architectures are currently attracting worldwide interest owing to their fascinating morphology-dependent properties and potential applications. Herein we constructed SnO₂ microspheres with 3D hierarchical flower-like architectures self-assembled with porous SnS₂ nanosheets by a facile hydrothermal method with subsequent calcination. The chemical and physical properties as well as photocatalytic application of SnO₂ microspheres were investigated. The size and morphology were examined with scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The phase and crystalline structure were determined with powder X-ray diffraction. The UV–Vis absorption property was determined with UV–Vis diffuse reflectance. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated with nitrogen monoxide (NO) decomposition under UV–Vis light irradiation. The effects of calcination temperature on morphology and NO decomposition were also studied.     

Graphene/BiOI composites synthesized via the oil bath method and their application for efficient photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation

An efficient and simple oil bath method for rapid synthesis of graphene/BiOI as visible light active photocatalyst was described. The resultant graphene/BiOI composites were characterized by different techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared graphene/BiOI composites for methyl orange degradation was also investigated under visible light irradiation. The results show that BiOI and graphene taken with a mass ratio of 100: 1 exhibited the highest photocatalytic efficiency, which is two times that of pure BiOI. Part of this effect results from higher specific surface area that provides an increased number of active sites. A relatively narrow band gap (2.08 eV) formed in the heterostructure can also contribute to this effect. A suggestion of the photocatalytic mechanism was also offered.     

Synthesis of BiVO4 nanosheets-graphene composites toward improved visible light photoactivity

Two-dimensional (2-D) BiVO₄ nanosheets-graphene (GR) composites with different weight addition ratios of GR have been prepared via a facile wet chemistry process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption, transient photocurrent response and photoluminescence (PL) spectra were employed to determine the properties of the samples. It is found that BiVO₄ nanosheets could pave well on the surface of graphene sheets. BiVO₄ nanosheets-GR composites with a proper addition amount of GR exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than bare BiVO₄ nanosheets toward liquid-phase degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. The enhancement of photocatalytic activities of BiVO₄ nanosheets-GR composites can be attributed to the effective separation of photoexcited electron-hole pairs. This work not only provides a simple strategy for fabricating specific 2-D semiconductor-2-D GR composites, but also opens a new window of such 2-D semiconductor-2-D GR composites as visible light photocatalysts toward an improved visible light photoactivity in purifying polluted water resources.     

柠檬酸辅助水热法制备可见光高效去除甲基橙的Bi2WO6纳米片

以Bi(NO3)3·5H2O和Na2WO3 ·2H2O为原料,以柠檬酸为络合剂,采用辅助水热法制备了Bi2WO6纳米片,运用X射线衍射、扫描电镜、场发射高分辨透射电镜、拉曼光谱、红外光谱和紫外-可见漫反射光谱等手段对样品进行了表征,并考察了该催化剂光催化去除甲基橙反应性能.结果表明,通过调节体系的pH值可制得结晶度良好...     

Hydrangea-like ZnO nanospheres on Al substrates via hydrothermal synthesis for photocatalytic activity

Hydrangea-like ZnO nanospheres were fabricated on Al substrates via a facile hydrothermal method with only one step. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence were used to investigate their morphology, component, structure, and optical properties. The hierarchical nanospheres are fabricated by 2D nanosheets with the shape of 3D sphere. By adjusting the reaction time, the formation process was monitored. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanospheres was also investigated for their dye degradation, and they exhibit good photocatalytic ability to congo red, with the degradation rate of 98.4%. Besides, they have universal catalysis effect on methyl orange.     

超声波辐射快速合成高光催化性能的BiOCl(Br)纳米片

在室温条件下,利用超声波辐射方法快速合成了四方状BiOCl(BiOBr)纳米片光催化剂。应用N2-物理吸附、X射线粉末衍射、扫描电镜、透射电镜、紫外可见光谱等手段对催化剂进行了表征,并以波长为λ=365 nm的紫外光和420 nm<λ<660 nm的可见光为光源,评价了该催化剂光催化降解酸性橙Ⅱ的活性。表征结果表明,超声波辐射可加速BiOCl和BiOBr晶化过程,显著提高BiOCl和BiOBr的结晶度,并使其晶粒发生细化,提高催化剂的比表面积。活性测试表明,声化学合成样品的光催化活性优于普通搅拌制备的样品。其中BiOCl的紫外光催化活性高于商业TiO2(P25)光催化剂。     

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.     

Nitrogen‐doped graphene‐cerium oxide (NG‐CeO2) photocatalyst for the photodegradation of methylene blue in waste water

This study shows a facile approach for the preparation of CeO₂ nanoparticles decorated with porous nitrogen‐doped graphene (NG) nanosheets for effective photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). NG nanosheets were first synthesized using a hydrothermal method and then nitrogen‐doped graphene‐cerium oxide (NG‐CeO₂) was prepared through mixing of cerium nitrate with different concentrations of NG under ultrasonication followed by hydrothermal treatment. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM). The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanocomposites was analyzed against MB dye. Results showed that the nanocomposites of NG‐CeO₂ have an average particle size of 20 nm. The as‐prepared NG‐CeO₂ nanocomposites exhibited outstanding photocatalytic activity for dye degradation under visible light irradiation, which could be attributed to synergistic effects between the NG nanosheets and CeO₂. The quantum of photodegradation increases with the increase of the NG content in the nanocomposites.     

Fabrication and photocatalytic activities of SrTiO3 nanofibers by sol–gel assisted electrospinning

SrTiO₃ nanofibers were successfully prepared by a facile electrospinning method with subsequent calcination in air. These one dimensional nanostructures were characterized for the morphological, structural and optical properties by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic investigations showed that the SrTiO₃ nanofibers possessed enhanced photocatalytic efficiency in photodegradation of rhodamine B and photocatalytic H₂ evolution from water splitting under ultraviolet light irradiation, compared with the SrTiO₃ nanoparticles and P25. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the beneficial microstructure and more negative conduction band edge compared with P25.     

多孔超薄g-C3N4纳米片负载Pt复合材料的制备及其光催化性能

以三聚氰胺为前驱体,通过热氧化刻蚀法制备多孔超薄g-C₃N₄纳米片（CNHS）,将其与氯铂酸钾溶液混合后采用原位光化学还原法成功制备了CNHS负载Pt光催化剂（Pt-CNHS）。使用粉末X射线衍射、场发射扫描电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱、透射电子显微镜、紫外可见漫反射光谱和N₂吸附-脱附测试等技术对所制备样品的结构、形貌、光吸收特性、光电化学性能和比表面积等进行系统分析。并以气相甲苯为目标降解物,研究其光催化性能。结果表明,相对于体相g-C₃N₄（CNB）和CNHS,Pt的引入可以有效增强催化剂对可见光的吸收能力、响应范围及载流子分离效率。与纯g-C₃N₄和CNHS相比,Pt-CNHS在紫外和可见光照射下均表现出更高的光催化降解气相甲苯的活性。此外,也对Pt-CNHS光催化剂在可见光照射下降解气相甲苯的反应历程做了初步研究。     

ZnO/BiOI微球的合成及其光催化性能

通过一步溶剂热法合成ZnO/BiOI纳米复合材料,在Bi（NO₃）₃·6H₂O、KI、ZnO和乙二醇（EG）溶剂中,制备出的样品尺寸和形貌采用X射线粉末衍射（XRD）、场发射扫描电镜（FESEM）、高分辨透射电镜（HRTEM）、紫外-可见漫反射光谱（DRS）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、N₂吸附-脱附等,对实验所得产物的组成、结构及光学性质等进行表征。以染料罗丹明B（RhB）水溶液和气态乙醛作为降解对象,采用BiOI、ZnO/BiOI和ZnO微纳材料作为光催化剂,通过对BiOI、ZnO/BiOI和ZnO微纳材料在可见光下光催化降解染料罗丹明B（RhB）水溶液和气态乙醛,结果表明多孔微纳材料的ZnO/BiOI具有更高的降解效率,实验表明多孔微纳材料的ZnO/BiOI具有更高的氧空位浓度,因此使其催化活性增强,讨论了其可能的催化活性机理。     

ZnO/BiOI微球的合成及其光催化性能

通过一步溶剂热法合成ZnO/BiOI纳米复合材料,在Bi（NO₃）₃·6H₂O、KI、ZnO和乙二醇（EG）溶剂中,制备出的样品尺寸和形貌采用X射线粉末衍射（XRD）、场发射扫描电镜（FESEM）、高分辨透射电镜（HRTEM）、紫外-可见漫反射光谱（DRS）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、N₂吸附-脱附等,对实验所得产物的组成、结构及光学性质等进行表征。以染料罗丹明B（RhB）水溶液和气态乙醛作为降解对象,采用BiOI、ZnO/BiOI和ZnO微纳材料作为光催化剂,通过对BiOI、ZnO/BiOI和ZnO微纳材料在可见光下光催化降解染料罗丹明B（RhB）水溶液和气态乙醛,结果表明多孔微纳材料的ZnO/BiOI具有更高的降解效率,实验表明多孔微纳材料的ZnO/BiOI具有更高的氧空位浓度,因此使其催化活性增强,讨论了其可能的催化活性机理。