Hydrothermal synthesis and photoelectric properties of BiVO4 with different morphologies: An efficient visible-light photocatalyst

Different morphologies of monoclinic BiVO₄ with smaller size were hydrothermal synthesized by simply adjusting the amount of surfactant (polyvinyl pyrrolidone PVP K30) added. The detailed field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis revealed that the amount of PVP added could significantly affect the morphology and size of BiVO₄. Their photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the decolorization of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation (λ > 400 nm), and the as-prepared sample with well-assembled flower-like morphology showed a much higher photocatalytic activity due to larger specific surface area and higher separation efficiency of photo-induced carriers. The relationship between the behavior of photo-induced carriers and photocatalytic activity was studied using the surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) and corresponding phase spectra.     

A facile in situ solvothermal method for two-dimensional layered g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>/SnS<Subscript>2</Subscript> p-n heterojunction composites with efficient visible-light photocatalytic activity

To overcome the fast recombination rate of electron-hole pairs of individual SnS₂, p-n heterojunction g-C₃N₄/SnS₂ composites were fabricated as high-efficiency visible-light photocatalyst to photodegradate the organic dye MB. The morphologies, structures, compositions, and photocatalytic properties were characterized. The SnS₂ shows two-dimensional layer structure with an average thickness of 20 nm and diameter size of about 2 μm, and the g-C₃N₄ nanoflakes were uniformly deposited on the surface of SnS₂ nanosheets. In comparison with the bare g-C₃N₄ and SnS₂, the composites show improved photocatalytic activity under visible light, which is sensitive to the content of g-C₃N₄. In particular, the 15% g-C₃N₄/SnS₂ composites exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity and outstanding reusability, which can degrade 88.01% MB after only 1 h in the visible light (λ?>?420 nm) range. The g-C₃N₄/SnS₂ heterojunction composites show outstanding reusability after four times cycling experiments. The improved photocatalytic activities of composites are attributed to abundant active species, increased charge separation, and decreased electron-hole pair recombination, which originated from the large specific surface area and efficient interfacial transport of photo-induced charge carriers between SnS₂ and g-C₃N₄. These results suggest that the two-dimensional layered g-C₃N₄/SnS₂ p-n heterojunction composites are promised to be a high-efficiency visible-light photocatalyst.     

Facile in situ hydrothermal synthesis of BiVO4/MWCNT nanocomposites as high performance visible-light driven photocatalysts

Visible-light responsive monoclinic BiVO₄/MWCNT nanocomposites were facilely prepared via an in situ hydrothermal method by using sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) as a guiding surfactant. The as-prepared BiVO₄/MWCNT nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The results showed that the hydrothermal temperature and adding SDS had significant influence on the morphology and size of BiVO₄. The photocatalytic activities of BiVO₄/MWCNT nanocomposites were investigated by degrading methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation. Remarkable enhancement in photodecomposition of MB was observed with BiVO₄/MWCNT composite compared with bare BiVO₄ particles. This improvement of photocatalytic was attributed to the effective charge transfer from BiVO₄ nanocrystals to MWCNT, which promoted the migration efficiency of photogenerated electron–hole. Furthermore, a possible mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidative degradation was also discussed.     

Additive-free controllable fabrication of bismuth vanadates and their photocatalytic activity toward dye degradation

Bismuth vanadates (BiVO₄) with various crystal structures (tetragonal scheelite, monoclinic scheelite, and tetragonal zircon) and morphologies (sphere-, nanosheet-, dendrite-, and flower-like) were controllably fabricated by using a mild additive-free hydrothermal treatment process under the different preparation conditions. The crystal structures, morphologies, and photophysical properties of the products were well-characterized. Subsequently, their UV- as well as visible-light photocatalytic performance was evaluated via dyes rhodamine B (RB) and methylene blue (MB) degradation. Special attention was paid to evaluate the correlation of the reactivity with crystal structure, morphology, and electronic structure of as-prepared BiVO₄ samples.     

Visible-Light Activities of Erbium Doped BiVO4 Photocatalysts

采用水热合成法,制备出Er掺杂的BiVO₄复合光催化剂,并采用XRD、SEM、XPS和紫外-可见漫反射光谱技术对其进行分析表征．通过可见光下降解水溶液中甲基橙分子来考察其光催化性能,结果显示掺杂组份以氧化物Er₂O₃形式存在于的复合光催化剂中;且掺杂复合光催化剂的可见光吸收和催化活性都比纯BiVO₄有所增强．     

Hydrothermal synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride–BiVO4 composites with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activities and the mechanism study

Novel graphitic carbon nitride (C₃N₄) and bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) composite photocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that an intimate interface between C₃N₄ and BiVO₄ formed in the composites. Compared with the pure C₃N₄ and BiVO₄, the C₃N₄–BiVO₄ photocatalysts showed remarkably the higher photocatalytic activities in degrading rhodamine B (Rh B). The best active heterojunction proportion was 0.5C₃N₄–0.5BiVO₄. Over this catalyst, the 100% degradation of Rh B (0.002 mmol L⁻¹) was obtained under visible light irradiation (λ>420 nm) for 40 min. The active species in Rh B degradation were examined by adding a series of scavengers. The study on photocatalytic mechanism revealed that the electrons injected directly from the conduction band of C₃N₄ to that of BiVO₄, resulting in the production of superoxide radical (O₂^•−) and hydroxyl radical (OH^•) in the conduction band of BiVO₄. Simultaneously, the rich holes in the valence band of g-C₃N₄ oxidized Rh B directly to promote the photocatalytic degradation reaction.     

Preparation and efficient visible light-induced photocatalytic activity of m-BiVO4 with different morphologies

The monoclinic scheelite BiVO₄ crystals with peanut-like, oval, twin-quadrangle and twin-four-pointed star morphologies were synthesized via a facile one step hydrothermal method by using sodium citrate as the chelating agent. The X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were employed to elucidate the structures and mophologies of the as-prepared BiVO₄ samples. The results showed that the formation of m-BiVO₄ with different morphologies relied on the pH value of the precursor solution. The band gaps values (E_g) of all the BiVO₄ samples were around 2.37–2.45 eV according to the UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrum, which indicated that samples could strongly absorb in the visible light region. The photocatalytic activities of BiVO₄ crystals were evaluated by degradation of MB in aqueous solution under artificial solar-light. The BiVO₄ samples obtained at different pH values showed different photocatalytic activities during the sunlight-driven photodegradation of methylene blue (MB). The sample with peanut-like-shape prepared at pH=1 exhibited the highest activity, and the photocatalytic conversion could reach above 90% after 3 h of irradiation. The result suggested that m-BiVO₄ with peanut-like-shape could be used as an effective photocatalyst in practical application for organic pollutants degradation.     

Ultrasound assisted synthesis of monoclinic structured spindle BiVO4 particles with hollow structure and its photocatalytic property

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) spindle particles with monoclinic scheelite structure have been successfully synthesized via a facile sonochemical method. The as-prepared BiVO₄ photocatalyst exhibited a hollow interior structure constructed from the self-assembly of cone shape primary nanocrystals. A possible oriented attachment growth mechanism has been proposed based on the results of time-dependent experiments, which indicates the formation of spindle particles is mainly attributed to the phase transformation procedure induced by ultrasound irradiation. A series of morphology evolutions of BiVO₄ from compact microspheres, to hollow microspheres, and then to spindle particles have been arrested in the process of sonochemical treatment. Optical absorption experiments revealed the BiVO₄ spindle had strong absorption in the visible light region. A much higher photocatalytic activity of these spindle particles was found in comparison with the SSR-BiVO₄ material for degradation of rhodamine-B under visible light irradiation, which may be ascribed to its special single-crystalline nanostructure.     

Study of SiRNA-loaded PS-mPEG/CaP nanospheres on lung cancer

The TiO₂/BiOI heterostructured nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning–solvothermal two-step process. The BiOI nanosheets, which owned a thickness of tens of nanometers and an average side length of about 300 nm, were intensive and crossed arranging on the TiO₂ nanofibers whose diameter was about 400–550 nm and length was about 15–45 μm. The absorption edge of TiO₂/BiOI heterostructured nanofibers was extended to more than 600 nm in visible-light region and the TiO₂/BiOI exhibited enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance and excellent recyclability compared to the individual TiO₂ nanofibers and the BiOI microflowers in the photodecomposition of methylene blue, which was ascribed to nanoscale size heterostructure, narrow energy band, peculiar band gap structures, and porous surface structure.     

Hierarchical nanostructured 3D flowerlike BiOX particles with excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity

BiOX (X = Cl, Br, and I) semiconductors were firstly prepared by a facile mixed solvent solvothermal route. Several characterization tools were employed to study the phase structures, morphologies, and optical properties of the samples. The in situ chemically mixed prepared BiOX particles with diameters 3.0–5.0 μm, fabricated by nanoplates in the thickness range of 5–18 nm, exhibited the highest visible-light photocatalytic activity among the as-prepared samples and Degussa P₂₅ for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). This result can be due to the narrow bandgap, broad sunlight range, high electronic negativity, and efficient separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs. Finally, a possible photocatalytic mechanism has been proposed.     

Density functional theory study of doping effects in monoclinic clinobisvanite BiVO4

The doping effects of several transition metal impurities for monoclinic BiVO₄ are studied by DFT calculations. The results indicated that transition metal doping could reduce the effective mass of holes on the top of valence band, except Zr doping. In particular, we found the “e” states of impurities have significant influence on the photophysical properties of BiV_1 − xM_xO₄ under visible-light irradiation.     

2-Propanol photodegradation over nitrogen-doped NaNbO3 powders under visible-light irradiation

Nitrogen-doped perovskite-type materials, yellowish NaNbO_3−xN_x powders, had been developed as visible-light-sensitive photocatalysts for decomposition of gaseous 2-propanol. The NaNbO_3−xN_x samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) light diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurement, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The UV-vis spectra confirmed that the spectral response of the NaNbO₃ powders could be tuned to visible-light region by nitrogen doping technique. The photocatalytic activities of NaNbO_3−xN_x samples were evaluated by decomposing gaseous 2-propanol into acetone and CO₂ under visible-light irradiation (400 nm<λ<520 nm). The NaNbO_3−xN_x sample annealed at 833 K showed the highest visible-light photocatalytic activity among all the nitrogen-doped samples. The relationship between nitrogen doping amount and photocatalytic activity of NaNbO_3−xN_x samples was also investigated and discussed.     

One-pot synthesis of Ag+ doped BiVO4 microspheres with enhanced photocatalytic activity via a facile hydrothermal method

The Ag⁺/BiVO₄ photocatalyst was fabricated through a facile hydrothermal method by using K₆V₁₀O₂₈·9H₂O as the vanadium source. The impact of Ag⁺ on the product's structure and morphology was studied. It was shown that the amount of Ag⁺ has no effect on the product’s crystal phases but plays an important role on the morphology of the nanoparticles that construct the shell of BiVO₄ microspheres. In addition, the Ag⁺-doped photocatalysts have much higher photocatalytic activities in removing RhB and MB under the UV light illumination than the pure BiVO₄. A possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed in photoexcitation of the BiVO₄ electrons which subsequently captured by the dopant. The present work may offer a novel route to reach higher photocatalytic activity by doping the Ag⁺ in the semiconductor catalysts.     

Synthesis of samarium- and nitrogen-co-doped TiO2 by modified hydrothermal method and its photocatalytic performance for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol

Sm- and nitrogen-co-doped TiO₂ (Sm-N-TiO₂) catalysts were prepared via the modified hydrothermal method using tetrabutyl titanate as the precursor and calcination at 200 °C. The microstructure of the sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV-vis-DRS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The average particle size was ca. 16.0 nm as calculated from XRD patterns. Sm-N-TiO₂ nanocrystalline showed strong visible-light response and high photocatalytic activity for 4-chlorophenol degradation under irradiation by visible-light (400-500 nm). The high visible-light photocatalytic activity of the obtained Sm-N-TiO₂ might result from the incorporation of nitrogen atoms in TiO₂, which extended the spectral response to the visible region, and Sm₂O₃ facilitated the excited electron transfer and hence suppressed efficiently the recombination of photoproduced electron-hole.     

Characterization and optimization of Ce0.6Zr0.4−x Mn x O2 (x ≤ 0.4)

In situ synthesis method is used to synthesize g-C₃N₄-P25 composite photocatalysts with different mass rations. The experiment result shows that P25 particles with diameter at range of 20–30 nm were embedded homogenously in the sheets of g-C₃N₄. Coupling g-C₃N₄ with P25 can not only improve the visible light absorption, but also improve the visible light photocatalytic activity of P25. The g-C₃N₄-P25 nanocomposite has the higher photocatalytic activity than g-C₃N₄ under visible light. The optimal g-C₃N₄ content with the highest photocatalytic activity is determined to be 84 %, which is almost 3.3 times higher than that of individual g-C₃N₄ under the visible light. The enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to the formation of g-C₃N₄ and TiO₂ heteojunction, which results in an efficient separation and transfer of photo-induced charge carriers. The electron spin resonance results show that the ^·O₂ ^? radicals are main active species for g-C₃N₄ and the g-C₃N₄-P25 nanocomposites.     

Photo-induced charge separation and photocatalytic activity of Ga-doped SnO2

Ga-doped SnO₂ with different molar ratios of Ga/Sn (1, 2, 3, and 4 %) was prepared by a facile co-precipitation route. The photocatalysts prepared were characterized by N₂ adsorption–desorption measurements, X-ray diffraction, UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope. The separation efficiency of photo-generated charge was studied using benzoquinone as scavenger. Hydroxyl radicals produced during photocatalytic process were detected by a terephthalic acid photoluminescence probing technique. Doping Ga³⁺ into SnO₂ can greatly enhance the separation efficiency of photo-induced charge and the formation rate of hydroxyl radicals. The superoxide radical is the main active species during the photocatalytic process. The catalytic activity of photocatalysts for decolorization of methyl orange in aqueous solution was investigated. Among the photocatalysts prepared, Ga-doped SnO₂ with 3 %Ga possesses the best photocatalytic activity and the underlying mechanism is suggested.     

Rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of phase controlled BiVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanocrystals and research on photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation

Pure tetragonal and monoclinic phases BiVO₄ were prepared from aqueous Bi (NO₃)₃ and NaVO₃ solutions by a rapid microwave-assisted method that employed accurate controlling of microwave irradiation time and power. The highly crystalline phase converted irreversibly from tetragonal to monoclinic BiVO₄ with gradually elongated irradiation time gradually, which is further proved by X-ray diffraction, UV–vis and Raman measurements. These variations of phase structures led to different photocatalytic properties under visible light.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of nanoparticulate perovskite LaFeO3 as a high active visible-light photocatalyst

Single phase perovskite LaFeO₃ nanoparticles are directly synthesized by a one-step microwave-assisted route without additional high temperature calcination process. The prepared sample is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscope (FE-SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area measurement, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). XRD and SEM show that the prepared LaFeO₃ is single phase perovskite and sphere-like shape. The DRS result shows that the prepared LaFeO₃ has strong visible-light absorption and an optical absorption onset of 525 nm, corresponding to an optical band gap of 2.36 eV. The photocatalytic experiment demonstrates that LaFeO₃ is highly visible-light photocatalytic active for the degradation of methylene blue. It is suggested that the narrow band gap and the strong visible-light absorption are responsible for the high visible-light photocatalytic activity of the prepared LaFeO₃.     

Dose–dependent biodistribution of prenatal exposure to rutile-type titanium dioxide nanoparticles on mouse testis

Au@TiO₂/graphene (Gr) composite with visible-light response was fabricated. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, and diffuse reflection spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicated that metallic Au nanoparticles with round shape and about 10 nm in size were loaded on TiO₂ particles uniformly, and Au@TiO₂ was grafted on Gr shaped in thin and big sheets. Photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was conducted under the visible-light irradiation (>420 nm) in order to evaluate the activity of photocatalysts. The light absorption spectrum of TiO₂ was extended to visible-light region by loading Au nanoparticles with plasmonic effect and 2,4-DCP could be degraded with Au@TiO₂ and Au@TiO₂/Gr by photocatalysis under visible light. Compared to that with Au@TiO₂, the elimination rate of 2,4-DCP was increased with Au@TiO₂/Gr. This enhanced photocatalytic performance was attributed to the concentration effect due to the improved adsorption performance introduced by Gr.     

Synthesis,characterization and excellent photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgBr/MoO3 composite photocatalyst

A novel composite photocatalyst Ag/AgBr/MoO₃ was successfully synthesized via a simple precipitation method at room temperature. The obtained products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in detail. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by monitoring the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) solution under visible-light irradiation. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgBr/MoO₃ composite significantly enhanced and the degradation ratio of RhB reached 97.7 % after 15 min only. The excellent photocatalytic activity might be closely related to the large surface area, porosity structure and efficient separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs. The possible reaction mechanism was also discussed.