A comparative study of bismuth-based photocatalysts with titanium dioxide for perfluorooctanoic acid degradation

The fabricated bismuth-based photocatalysts presented an outstanding performance as compared to commercial TiO₂ (P25) for PFOA degradation under 254 nm UV light irradiation.     

Ag/AgBr/graphene oxide nanocomposite synthesized via oil/water and water/oil microemulsions: a comparison of sunlight energized plasmonic photocatalytic activity

In this article, we report that Ag/AgBr nanostructures and the corresponding graphene oxide (GO) hybridized nanocomposite, Ag/AgBr/GO, could be facilely synthesized by means of a surfactant-assisted assembly protocol, where an oil/water microemulsion is used as the synthesis medium. We show that thus-produced nanomaterials could be used as highly efficient and stable plasmonic photocatalysts for the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) pollutant under sunlight irradiation. Compared with the bare Ag/AgBr nanospecies, Ag/AgBr/GO displays distinctly enhanced photocatalytic activity. More importantly, the as-prepared nanostructures exhibit higher photocatalytic activity than that of the corresponding Ag/AgBr-based nanomaterials synthesized viaa water/oil microemulsion and than that of the corresponding Ag/AgCl-based nanospecies synthesized by an oil/water microemulsion. An explanation has been proposed for these interesting findings. Our results suggest that thus-manufactured Ag/AgBr/GO plasmonic photocatalysts are promising alternatives to the traditional UV light or visible-light driven photocatalysts.     

微波辅助制备CdS插层K2La2Ti3O10复合物及其光催化制氢的性能

采用微波辅助通过酸交换、胺柱撑、离子交换等步骤制备了CdS插层的K2La2Ti3O10(记做CdS-K2La2Ti3O10)复合光催化剂.利用X射线粉末衍射(XRD),场发射扫描电子显微镜(SEM),紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱(UV-Vis)和光致发光光谱(PL)等对产物进行表征,考察了CdS-K2La2Ti3O10在紫外光及可见光下催化制氢活性.结果表明,微波辅助法与传统法制备的插层复合催化剂晶型结构相似,同时大大减少了离子交换反应时间,减少了对层间结构的破坏,拓展了催化剂的可见光吸收范围.微波辅助制备的催化剂在紫外光和可见光照射3 h后的产氢量分别为221.53 mmol/(g cat.)和3.23 mmol/(g cat.),并对光催化机理进行了分析.     

A comparative study of bismuth-based photocatalysts with titanium dioxide for perfluorooctanoic acid degradation

Bismuth-based material has been broadly studied due to their potential applications in various areas, especially used as promising photocatalysts for the removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and several approaches have been adopted to tailor their features. Herein, the bismuth-based photocatalysts (BiOCl, BiPO₄, BiOPO₄/BiOCl) were synthesized by hydrothermal method and advanced characterization techniques (XRD, SEM, EDS elemental mapping, Raman and UV–vis DRS) were employed to analyze their morphology, crystal structure, and purity of the prepared photocatalysts. These synthesized photocatalysts offered a praiseworthy activity as compared to commercial TiO₂ (P25) for the degradation of model pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) under 254 nm UV light. It was interesting to observe that all synthesized photocatalysts show significant degradation of PFOA and their photocatalytic activity follows the order: bismuth-based catalysts > TiO₂ (P25) > without catalyst. Bismuth-based catalysts degraded the PFOA by almost 99.99% within 45 min while this degradation efficiency was 66.05% with TiO₂ under the same reaction condition. Our work shows that the bismuth-based photocatalysts are promising in PFOA treatment.     

Plasmonic enhancements of photocatalytic activity of Pt/n-Si/Ag photodiodes using Au/Ag core/shell nanorods

We report the plasmonic enhancement of the photocatalytic properties of Pt/n-Si/Ag photodiode photocatalysts using Au/Ag core/shell nanorods. We show that Au/Ag core/shell nanorods can be synthesized with tunable plasmon resonance frequencies and then conjugated onto Pt/n-Si/Ag photodiodes using well-defined chemistry. Photocatalytic studies showed that the conjugation with Au/Ag core/shell nanorods can significantly enhance the photocatalytic activity by more than a factor of 3. Spectral dependence studies further revealed that the photocatalytic enhancement is strongly correlated with the plasmonic absorption spectra of the Au/Ag core/shell nanorods, unambiguously demonstrating the plasmonic enhancement effect.     

Development of rectangular column structured titanium oxide photocatalysts anchored on silica sheets by a wet process

Commercially available powdered photocatalysts such as P-25 are known to show high photocatalytic performance. However, in practical use, their anchoring onto a substrate without any binders is still very difficult. The purpose of this study is to design and develop high-performance photocatalysts that can be anchored onto a substrate, and to this end we have prepared a titanium oxide photocatalyst using a wet process. The results of this study led to the successful development of rectangular column structured titanium oxide crystals which could be anchored onto silica sheets. The rectangular columnar crystal was 100- 500 nm wide and 1000- 5000 nm long. Moreover, investigations on the complete oxidation reaction of acetaldehyde into CO₂ and H₂O showed a high performance equivalent to that of the most efficient marketed powdered photocatalysts.     

Physicochemical and photocatalytic properties of the ZnO particles synthesized by two different methods using three different precursors

ZnO particles with different morphological forms and various scale sizes were successfully synthesized as photocatalysts using two different methods (sol–gel and precipitation) and three precursors (zinc acetate dihydrate, zinc nitrate hexahydrate, and zinc sulfate heptahydrate). These materials were calcined at 500 °C for 3 h and characterized by various physicochemical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, transmission electron microscopy, S_BET, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance. The results showed that the crystalline structure, size, and morphology of the ZnO particles are strongly influenced by the preparation method and by the nature of the precursor used as reactant. The photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized photocatalysts was evaluated by the photodegradation of methyl orange in aqueous solution under UV-A light. The results showed that the ZnO nanoparticles prepared the by sol–gel method from zinc acetate are more efficient than those prepared by the precipitation method.     

基于等离子体型Ag@AgBr插层K4Nb6O17的可控合成及光催化性能

在微波辅助条件下采用离子交换和光致还原的方法将Ag@AgBr纳米粒子插层进入K4Nb6O17层间,制备了具有等离子体共振效应的可见光催化剂(记作K4Nb6O17/Ag@AgBr).在胺交换过程中采用不同链长的有机胺对酸交换产物进行柱撑,通过铌酸钾层间距的变化实现层间Ag@AgBr纳米粒子的形貌调控.利用XRD,SEM,EDX,UV-Vis等手段对复合催化剂进行结构、形貌和性质分析,并对复合光催化剂进行了可见光降解亚甲基蓝、甲基橙和苯酚的性能研究.结果表明:改性后的复合光催化剂在可见光区的响应大大增强;3种复合光催化剂对目标污染物均具有良好的可见光催化活性,其中十二胺柱撑的Ag@AgBr插层K4Nb6O17复合光催化剂对亚甲基蓝的移除效果最好.     

四羟基苯基金属卟啉（MTHPP）／TiO2的合成及其光催化活性的研究

采用Alder法合成四羟基苯基卟啉,并用四种醋酸盐：醋酸锌,醋酸镍,醋酸铜,醋酸钴与原卟啉合成了相应4种金属卟啉（MTHPP）．采用金属卟啉为敏化剂,并与蒸汽热法制备的纯锐钛矿型TiO2作用,得到相应的金属卟啉敏化TiO2复合光催化剂．利用红外、紫外、SEM、和XRD对所得金属卟啉以及金属卟啉-TiO2复合光催化剂进行了表征和分析．结果表明,所合成的金属卟啉均为目标化合物,金属卟啉负载于TiO2表面,未改变TiO2的晶型和形貌．金属卟啉与TiO2之间存在氢键的作用力．可见光降解亚甲基蓝（MB）实验结果表明,用锌卟啉（ZnTHPP）敏化的复合催化剂性能最好,复合催化剂性质稳定,可重复使用多次．     

Mg-Al 类水滑石/二氧化钛异质复合纳米晶光催化氧化苯的性能

 采用过饱和沉淀法合成 n(Mg)/n(Al) = 2 的 Mg-Al 类水滑石化合物 (Mg-Al-HT), 再用水热法将它与钛胶复合, 制得 Mg-Al-HT/TiO2 异质复合光催化剂. 采用 X 射线粉末衍射、透射电子显微镜、场发射扫描电子显微镜、低温 N2 吸附-脱附、紫外-可见漫反射光谱和热重等技术对催化剂结构、成分和性质进行了表征. 结果表明, 在波长 365 nm 的紫外光照射降解苯的反应中, Mg-Al-HT/TiO2 异质复合光催化剂表现出优于单一的 TiO2 或 Mg-Al-HT 催化剂的光催化活性, 且稳定性更高; 同时讨论了该复合催化剂性能优异的原因. 另外, 运用电子顺磁共振技术检测到体系中存在羟基自由基等活性物种, 并据此提出了 Mg-Al-HT/TiO2 异质复合纳米晶催化剂光催化降解苯的反应机理.     

还原氧化石墨烯-TiO2光催化剂的研究进展

还原氧化石墨烯-TiO₂(rGO-TiO₂)复合材料被合成以来，其应用不断被拓展。以rGO-TiO₂作为光催化剂时，发现rGO可以作为电子储存体和光敏剂，从而提高TiO₂的光催化活性。本文从rGO-TiO₂的设计出发，综述其在光催化过程中rGO的作用以及制备复合材料中氧化石墨烯(GO)的作用。期望为研究者通过设计高效光催化剂从而减少环境污染和改变能源使用结构提供参考。     

A microfluidic "baby machine" for cell synchronization

Common techniques used to synchronize eukaryotic cells in the cell cycle often impose metabolic stress on the cells or physically select for size rather than age. To address these deficiencies, a minimally perturbing method known as the "baby machine" was developed previously. In the technique, suspension cells are attached to a membrane, and as the cells divide, the newborn cells are eluted to produce a synchronous population of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. However, the existing "baby machine" is only suitable for cells which can be chemically attached to a surface. Here, we present a microfluidic "baby machine" in which cells are held onto a surface by pressure differences rather than chemical attachment. As a result, our method can in principle be used to synchronize a variety of cell types, including cells which may have weak or unknown surface attachment chemistries. We validate our microfluidic "baby machine" by using it to produce a synchronous population of newborn L1210 mouse lymphocytic leukemia cells in G1 phase.     

硫氰根选择性吸附在g-C_3N_4/Ag表面增强其光催化制氢性能(英文)

作为一种无金属的新型半导体材料,g-C_3N_4因具有稳定的物理化学性质及合适的能带结构而引起人们的关注.理论上g-C_3N_4完全满足水分解的电势条件.然而研究发现,g-C_3N_4材料本身的光催化性能并不好,这主要是由于半导体材料被光激发后生成的自由电子和空穴还没来得及到达材料表面参与反应,就在材料体相内发生复合,导致电子参与有效光催化制氢反应的几率大大降低.同时还发现,将少量的贵金属,如Pt,Au,Pd作助催化剂修饰在该半导体表面,其光催化性能明显提高.但由于这些贵金属储量非常稀少,价格昂贵,导致它们的使用受到一定限制.而Ag作为一种价格远低于Pt,Au,Pd的贵金属,也得到了广泛的研究.研究表明,金属Ag储存电子的能力很好,因此可以有效地将半导体上生成的光生电子快速转移到Ag上面去,从而达到电子空穴快速分离的目的.但是在光催化制氢过程中,Ag吸附H~+的能力较弱,致使电子与H~+反应的诱导力较弱,使得Ag释放电子的能力较差.因此可以通过提高Ag表面对H~+的吸附强度,以加速Ag的电子释放,通过表面修饰来提高Ag助剂的光催化活性.研究发现,Ag纳米粒子表面与含硫化合物之间存在很强的亲和力.硫氰根离子(SCN~–)具有很强的电负性,容易吸附溶液中H~+离子,并且也易吸附在Ag纳米粒子的表面.因此可以利用Ag与SCN~–的作用来增强Ag释放电子的能力.本文采用光还原法将Ag沉积在g-C_3N_4半导体材料表面,然后通过在制氢牺牲剂中加入KSCN溶液,利用SCN~-与Ag的亲和力来提高光生电子参与光催化反应的效率.结果表明,在SCN~-存在的情况下,g-C_3N_4/Ag的光催化制氢性能显著提高.当制氢溶液中SCN~–浓度为0.3 mmol L~(–1)时,材料的光催化制氢性能达最大,为3.89μmol h~(–1),比g-C_3N_4/Ag性能提高5.5倍.基于少量的SCN~–就能明显提高g-C_3N_4/Ag材料的光催化性能,我们提出了一个可能性的作用机理:金属银和SCN~-协同作用,即银纳米粒子作为光生电子的捕获和传输的一种有效的电子传递介质,而选择性吸附在银表面的SCN~-作为界面活性位点有效地吸附溶液中的质子以促进产氢反应,二者协同作用,加速了g-C_3N_4-Ag–SCN~-三物种界面之间电荷的传输、分离及界面催化反应速率,有效抑制了g-C_3N_4主体材料光生电子和空穴的复合,因而g-C_3N_4/Ag–SCN复合材料的光催化制氢性能提高.考虑到其成本低、效率高,SCN~–助催化剂有很大的潜力广泛应用于制备高性能的银修饰光催化材料.     

Photodegradation of Direct Blue-199 in carpet industry wastewater using iron-doped TiO2 nanoparticles and regenerated photocatalyst

Fe-doped TiO_2, Ti_1–xFe_xO₂ (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.10), photocatalysts have been successfully synthesized via citric acid–assisted autocombustion method. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using different characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD diffraction patterns revealed that synthesized photocatalysts have the anatase phase of TiO₂. The DRS analysis indicates a slight increment in absorbance in the visible light region by the Fe doping in TiO₂. The FT-IR spectra reveal the various stretching and bending vibrational bands of the Ti–O lattice. The XPS spectra confirm the presence of elements titanium, oxygen, and iron in the synthesized samples and determine binding energy of elements. TEM analysis shows the shape of the synthesized photocatalyst, and it was used to calculate the average particle sizes of undoped and Fe-doped TiO₂ (Ti_0.96Fe_0.04O₂) photocatalysts using a histogram. The photocatalytic activities of synthesized photocatalysts were determined by photodegradation of dye (Direct Blue 199), contaminating carpet industry wastewater in the photochemical reactor and open pan reactor. The maximum photodegradation activity was shown by the Ti_0.96Fe_0.04O₂ photocatalyst among all the synthesized undoped and Fe-doped photocatalysts. The synthesized photocatalyst (Ti_0.96Fe_0.04O₂) had better photocatalytic activity when compared to both, undoped TiO₂ and Aeroxide (Degussa) P-25. The used Fe-doped TiO₂ photocatalyst (Ti_0.96Fe_0.04O₂) was regenerated five times and investigated for its photocatalytic activity.     

TiO2/Mo-TiO2 的制备、表征和光催化活性

 采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了掺 Mo 的 TiO2 粉末, 再由其制得 TiO2/Mo-TiO2 复合物光催化剂. 使用 X 射线光电子能谱、X 射线衍射、透射电镜、N2 吸附-脱附、紫外-可见漫反射光谱和荧光光谱等手段对催化剂进行了表征. 在紫外光照射下, 以甲基橙溶液降解为探针反应, 研究了 Mo 掺杂量对样品光催化活性的影响. 结果表明, Mo-TiO2 催化剂的活性不如纯 TiO2, 这是因为 Mo 离子促进了光生载流子的复合; 而带有 n-n 异质结半导体结构的 TiO2/Mo-TiO2 复合催化剂具有比纯 TiO2 和 Mo-TiO2 催化剂更高的光催化活性. 当 Mo 掺杂摩尔分数为 2%, TiO2:Mo-TiO2 质量比为 10:1 时, 活性是纯 TiO2 的 1.57 倍.     

微波加热制备泡沫镍负载La3+掺杂纳米TiO2及其光催化降解甲醛的性能

 采用常规加热和微波加热方法制备了两种泡沫镍负载La3+掺杂的纳米TiO2光催化剂,以甲醛光催化降解为模型反应,考察了制备方法和掺杂La3+对催化剂催化性能的影响,并采用扫描电镜、透射电镜、 X射线衍射和能量分散式光谱分析对催化剂进行了表征. 结果表明,微波加热法制备的纳米TiO2具有典型的锐钛矿型晶体结构,其粒径均匀且明显小于常规加热法制备的催化剂. 泡沫镍负载1.5%La3+掺杂的TiO2的光催化性能得到明显改善,反应90 min后甲醛的降解率仍达到93%. 在实验中发现催化剂有失活现象,但经简单清洗后其活性能够恢复.     

Enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO(2) nanopowders for H(2) production by using non-noble transition metal co-catalysts

Co and Ni-nanoclusters are attractive alternatives to Pt catalysts for hydrogen generation. These earth abundant elements when loaded onto the TiO(2) nanopowders surface act as efficient co-catalysts. Co, Ni-decorated TiO(2) photocatalysts display only three (3) times lower catalytic activities for H(2) evolution under UV illumination compared with Pt-decorated TiO(2) photocatalysts.     

Tandem "click" reactions at acetylene-terminated Si(100) monolayers

We demonstrate a simple method for coupling alkynes to alkynes. The method involves tandem azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions ("click" chemistry) for the immobilization of 1-alkyne species onto an alkyne modified surface in a one-pot procedure. In the case presented, these reactions take place on a nonoxidized Si(100) surface although the approach is general for linking alkynes to alkynes. The applicability of the method in the preparation of electrically well-behaved functionalized surfaces is demonstrated by coupling an alkyne-tagged ferrocene species onto alkyne-terminated Si(100) surfaces. The utility of the approach in biotechnology is shown by constructing a DNA sensing interface by derivatization of the acetylenyl surface with commercially available alkyne-tagged oligonucleotides. Cyclic voltametry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray reflectometry are used to characterize the coupling reactions and performance of the final modified surfaces. These data show that this synthetic protocol gives chemically well-defined, electronically well-behaved, and robust (bio)functionalized monolayers on silicon semiconducting surfaces.     

利用地球上丰富的炭黑和NiS_2双助催化剂修饰提高CdS纳米片体系的可见光产氢活性(英文)

光催化产氢技术是目前解决能源和环境问题的最有潜力的方法之一,因此制备安全高效的光催化剂已成为目前的研究热点.在目前研究的各种光催化剂中,CdS光催化剂因为具有较窄的带隙(2.4 eV)和合适的导带位置,所以在可见光催化产氢领域受到广泛关注.然而,光生电子/空穴对易复合和光腐蚀作用极大地限制了CdS光催化剂的放大应用.因此,人们采用众多改性策略以提高CdS光催化剂的可见光产氢活性,其中构建CdS纳米结构和负载助催化剂被认为是最有效的方式.构建CdS纳米结构既可以缩短载流子的迁移路径,也可以减少CdS晶体中的缺陷.很多不同纳米结构的CdS光催化剂已经被开发,例如纳米线、纳米颗粒和纳米棒等.因为制备过程极为复杂繁琐,所以CdS纳米片的研究鲜见报道.本文采用乙酸鎘和硫脲为原材料,通过简单的溶剂热法合成了CdS纳米片.在CdS的各类助催化剂中,由于常用的Pt,Ag和Au等贵金属的高成本和低储量等问题严重限制了它们的实际应用,所以近年来众多非贵金属助催化剂(例如MoS_2,WS2,NiS,NiO和WC等)得到了广泛关注.由于非贵金属助催化剂存在弱电导率和低功函数等问题,影响了对光生电子的收集和利用.纳米碳材料具有极高的电导率、强可见光吸收、有效的载流子分离和较多的反应位点等优点,因此组合纳米碳材料和非贵金属助催化剂被认为是一种有效的解决方案.本文首次采用炭黑和NiS_2作为双助催化剂改性CdS纳米片,通过简单的溶剂热/沉淀两步法成功合成了廉价高效的CdS/CB/NiS_2三元光催化体系.光催化产氢性能测试表明,CdS-0.5%CB-1%NiS_2展现出最高的光催化效率(166.7μmol h~(-1)),分别是CdS NSs和CdS-1.0%NiS_2的5.16和1.87倍.X射线衍射、高分辨电子显微镜和X射线光电子能谱结果证实了CdS催化剂的片状结构,且炭黑和NiS_2成功负载在CdS纳米片表面.紫外-可见漫反射结果表明,随着炭黑和NiS_2的负载,复合催化剂的吸收边缘产生明显的红移,且对可见光的吸收增强.荧光光谱、阻抗和瞬态光电流曲线测试结果证明,炭黑和NiS_2的加入可以有效地促进光生电子/空穴对分离.极化曲线结果表明,加入炭黑和NiS_2可以降低CdS的产氢过电势,因此加速表面产氢动力学.总之,炭黑和NiS_2之间显著的协同效应极大地提高了可见光吸收,促进光生电子/空穴对分离,加速表面产氢动力学,最终得到了三元光催化体系极高的光催化产氢活性.     

一步法合成g-C3N4纳米片用作苯酚可见光降解高效催化剂

石墨相氮化碳(g-C3N4)是一种在室温条件下最稳定的氮化碳.同时g-C3N4的带隙为2.7 eV,可以利用可见光催化很多反应,例如光解水、CO2还原、有机污染物降解和有机物合成.但普通体相g-C3N4的光催化性能不尽如人意,主要是由于普通体相材料的载流子复合效率高,可见光(<450 nm)利用率低且比表面积小.众所周知,半导体的光催化性能与材料表面状态密切相关,因此可以控制合成条件来制备有利于光催化形貌的g-C3N4材料.普通体相g-C3N4材料的比表面积较小,约为10 m2/g,导致传质作用较差,光生电子-空穴复合严重,因此制备高比表面积的g-C3N4材料是目前研究的热点.我们发现在550℃下将三聚氰胺和三聚氰酸一起煅烧可以一步热合成g-C3N4纳米片,合成温度较低,对材料带隙影响小,同时可以提高材料比表面积,从而极大地提高了材料的光降解苯酚性能.XRD测试发现,随着前驱体中三聚氰酸比例增加,材料的主峰从27.38°显著偏移到27.72°.这表明三嗪环面内相连构成CN平面,同时CN层也会有堆叠最终形成g-C3N4材料.通过BET测试,g-C3N4纳米片的比表面积为103.24 m2/g.采用AFM分析得到g-C3N4纳米片的厚度为3.07 nm.研究了该g-C3N4纳米片的光降解性能,结果显示,在可见光照射30 min后,使用这种g-C3N4纳米片作为催化剂的条件下,苯酚降解率达到最优的81%.在5次循环利用后,g-C3N4(1:9)的降解率还能保持在80%以上,说明材料有良好的循环稳定性.这主要得益于材料的纳米片结构,在对苯酚吸附时不会有很复杂的吸附与脱附过程.同时纳米片结构可为有机污染物的吸附和原位降解提供传质通道.光反应体系中的产物由HPLC检测,分析苯酚的降解产物及产物的产量可以大致推测苯酚可能的降解历程.在三聚氰酸作用下,CN聚合层弯曲,减少了CN层之间的相互结合,同时不会对材料的带隙产生影响.同时整个合成过程无需引发剂,也不会导致CN层的基本单元和连接方式发生改变,同时由于二维片层结构,提高了材料的电荷分离效率.通过苯酚的降解实验得知三聚氰胺与三聚氰酸的比例为1:9,在550℃下煅烧得到的g-C3N4纳米片的光降解性能最优,同时具有很好的催化稳定性.