In-situ hydrothermal synthesized γ-Al2O3/O-g-C3N4 heterojunctions with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity in water splitting for hydrogen

In this work,γ-Al₂O₃ and hydrogen peroxide treated g-C₃N₄（O-g-C₃N₄） were combined through a novel in-situ hydrothermal method to form heterojunction structured photocatalysts.These photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR）,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）,UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy（PL）.FT-IR results indicate that oxygen functional groups can be grafted on the surface of O-g-C₃N₄ by hydrogen peroxide treatment.The visible light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate was investigated in 10 vol% TEOA aqueous solution.The optimal Al₂O₃ mass content is set to be 20 wt% and the corresponding hydrogen evolution rate is 1288 μmol/h/g which is approximately 6,3 folds that of pristine g-C₃N₄ and O-g-C₃N₄ respectively and 1.6 folds that of mechanical mixed composite with the same Al₂O₃ mass content.The photocurrent density–time curves were carried out under visible light illumination for four on–off cycles.The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） measurements verified the enhanced separation efficiency of electron–hole pairs.This work raised a new method to form the heterojunction structured photocatalysts and achieved a remarkable improvement of the photocatalytic activity in water splitting for hydrogen under visible light irradiation.     

Facile synthesis of GO as middle carrier modified flower-like BiOBr and C_3N_4 nanosheets for simultaneous treatment of chromium(Ⅵ)and tetracycline

A novel GO modified g-C_3N_4 nanosheets/flower-like BiOBr hybrid photocatalyst is fabricated by a facile method.The characterization results reveal that wrinkled GO is deposited between g-C_3N_4 nanosheets and flower-like BiOBr forming a Z-scheme heterojunction.As a mediator,plicate GO plays a positive role in prompting photogene rated electrons transfe rring through its sizeable 2 D/2 D contact surface area.The g-C_3 N_(4/)GO/BiOBr hybrid displays a superior photocatalytic ability to g-C_3N_4 and BiOBr in photodegrading tetracycline(TC),whose removal efficiency could reach 96% within 2 h.Besides,g-C_3N_4/GO/BiOBr composite can reduce Cr(Ⅵ),and simultaneously treat TC and Cr(Ⅵ) combination contaminant under the visible light The g-C_3N_4/GO/BiOBr ternary composite also exhibits satisfactory stability and reusability after four cycling experiments.Further,a feasible mechanism related to the photocatalytic process of gC_3N_4/GO/BiOBr is put forward.This study offers a te rnary hybrid photocatalyst with eco-friendliness and hopeful application in water pollution.     

Photoreduction of CO_2 to methanol over Bi_2S_3/CdS photocatalyst under visible light irradiation

The Bi2S3,CdS and Bi2S3/CdS photocatalysts were prepared by direct reactions between their corresponding salt and thiourea in a hy- drothermal autoclave.The photocatalytic activities of these photocatalysts for reducing CO2 to CH3OH under visible light irradiation have been investigated.The results show that the photocatalytic activity and visible light response of Bi2S3 are higher than those of CdS.The Bi2S3 modification can enhance the photocatalytic activity and visible light response of CdS.The photocatalytic activity of Bi2S3/CdS hetero-junction photocatalyst was the highest and the highest yields of methanol was 613μmol/g when the weight proportion of Bi2S3 to CdS was 15%,which was about three times as large as that of CdS or two times of that of Bi2S3.     

N掺杂可见光化催化剂的研究

The N-doped, yellow colored titanium oxide photocatalysts were prepared with Ti(SO4)2 and NH4HCO3 as precursors by precipitation method. The photocatalytic ability under the irradiation of UV or visible light for the catalysts prepared was studied by degradation of styphnic acid. The materials were characterized by EDS, XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis DRS, and XPS. The results indicate that the photocatalytic ability of catalysts is improved, especially the ability of visible light response. The results of UV-Vis DRS show that the response wavelength range of N-dopped nitrogen is red shifted, the absorption region is expanded to 476 nm.     

N-doped NaTaO_3 synthesized from a hydrothermal method for photocatalytic water splitting under visible light irradiation

NaTaO_(3-x)N_x catalysts were synthesized by a hydrothermal(H) and a solid-state(S) methods in this study.The H-and S-NaTaO_(3-x)N_x samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), UV–visible(UV–vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence(PL) spectroscopy. The XRD patterns of the H-and S-samples showed peaks indexed to the pure phase of perovskite NaTaO_3 and minor peaks assignable to Ta_3N_5 at various synthesis temperatures. Substitution of oxygen by nitrogen ions causes the light absorption of the H-and S-NaTaO_(3-x)N_x samples to be extended to the 600–650 nm region, thus making the samples visible-light active. The NaTaO_(3-x)N_x samples exhibited photocatalytic activity for H_2 and O_2 evolution from aqueous methanol and silver nitrate solutions under visible-light irradiation. The UV–vis and PL spectra of the Hand S-catalysts revealed the presence of cationic vacancies and reduced metallic species, which acted as recombination centers. These results demonstrated that the preparation method plays a critical role in the formation of defect states, thereby governing the photocatalytic activity of the NaTaO_(3-x)N_x catalysts.     

3D macropore carbon-vacancy g-C3N4 constructed using polymethylmethacrylate spheres for enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution and CO2 reduction

Metal-free g-C_3N_4 is widely used in photocatalytic reactions owing to its suitable band structure.However, it has low specific surface area and insufficient absorbance for visible light, and its photoexcited carriers have high recombination rates. In this study, the 3 D macropore C-vacancy g-C_3N_4 was prepared through a facile one-step route. Polymethylmethacrylate is used as a template to increase the surface reaction sites of g-C_3N_4 and extend its visible-light range. Compared to unmodified g-C_3N_4, the H2 production and CO_2 reduction rates of the fabricated g-C_3N_4 significantly improved. The special pore structure significantly improved the light utilization efficiency of g-C_3N_4 and increased the number of surface-active sites. The introduction of C-vacancy extended the absorption band of visible-light and suppressed the carrier recombination. The newly developed synthesis strategy can improve solar energy conversion efficiency and potentially modifies g-C_3N_4.     

水热法合成多孔Ag_2S敏化二氧化钛催化剂及其可见光催化活性(英文)

Porous Ag2S sensitized TiO2 catalysts were synthesized by the hydrothermal process.The crystallization and porous structure of the Ag2S/TiO2 composite photocatalysts were investigated by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis,UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy,and N2 adsorption.The Ag2S/TiO2 composites were mainly composed of anatase TiO2 and acanthite Ag2S.The absorption edge wavelengths of TiO2 and the Ag2S/TiO2 composite prepared with 3 mmol Na2S.5H2O were 400 and 800 nm,respectively,that is,the absorption edge of the composite had a pronounced red shift.The photocatalytic activity under visible light was investigated by the degradation of methylene blue with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer.The photocatalytic activities under visible light of the Ag2S/TiO2 photocatalysts were much higher than that of TiO2.     

Photocatalytic Activity for Water Decomposition to Hydrogen over Nitrogen‐doped TiO2 Nanoparticle

Nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanoparticle photocatalysts were obtained by an annealing method with gaseous ammonia and nitrogen. The influence of dopant N on the crystal structure was characterized by XRD, XPS, BET, TEM and UV-Vis spectra. The results of XRD indicate that, the crystal phase transforms from anatase to rutile structure gradually with increase of annealing temperature from 300 to 700 ℃. XPS studies indicate that the nitrogen atom enters the TiO2 lattice and occupies the position of oxygen atom. Agglomeration of particles is found in TEM images after annealing. BET results show that the specific surface areas of N-doped samples from 44.61 to 38.27 m2/g are smaller than that of Degussa TiO2. UV-Vis spectra indicate that the absorption threshold shifts gradually with increase of annealing temperature, which shows absorption in the visible region. The influence of annealing condition on the photocatalytic property has been researched over water decomposition to hydrogen, indicating that nitrogen raises the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution, and the modified TiO2 annealed for 2 h at 400 ℃ under gas of NH3/N2 (V/V＝1/2) mixture shows better efficiency of hydrogen evolution. Furthermore, the N-doped TiO2 nanoparticle catalysts have obvious visible light activity, evidenced by hydrogen evolution under visible light (λ＞400 nm) irradiation. However, the catalytic activity under visible light irradiation is absent for Degussa as reference and the N-doped TiO2 annealed at 700 ℃.     

Functional groups to modify g-C_3N_4 for improved photocatalytic activity of hydrogen evolution from water splitting

Rational modification by functional groups was regarded as one of efficient methods to improve the photocatalytic performance of graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_3 N_4).Herein,g-C_3 N_4 with yellow(Y-GCN) and brown(C-GCN) were prepared by using the fresh urea and the urea kept for five years,respectively,for the first time.Experimental results show that the H2 production rate of the C-GCN is 39.06 μmol/h,which is about 5 times of the Y-GCN.Meantime,in terms of apparent quantum efficiency(AQ.E) at 420 nm,C-GCN has a value of 6.3% and nearly 7.3 times higher than that of Y-GCN(0.86%).The results of XRD,IR,DRS,and NMR show,different from Y-GCN,a new kind of functional group of —N=CH— was firstly in-situ introduced into the C-GCN,resulting in good visible light absorption,and then markedly improving the photocatalytic performance.DFT calculation also confirms the effect of the —N=CH— group band structure of g-C_3N_4.Furthermore,XPS results demonstrate that the existence of —N=CH— groups in C-GCN results in tight interaction between C-GCN and Pt nanoparticles,and then improves the charge separation and photocatalytic performance.The present work demonstrates a good example of "defect engineering" to modify the intrinsic molecular structure of g-C_3N_4 and provides a new avenue to enhance the photocatalytic activity of g-C_3N_4 via facile and environmental-friendly method.     

Mesoporous cadmium bismuth niobate (CdBi_2Nb_2O_9) nanospheres for hydrogen generation under visible light

Herein, we report visible light active mesoporous cadmium bismuth niobate(CBN) nanospheres as a photocatalyst for hydrogen(H_2) generation from copious hydrogen sulfide(H_2S). CBN has been synthesized by solid state reaction(SSR) and also using combustion method(CM) at relatively lower temperatures.The as-synthesized materials were characterized using different techniques. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the formation of single phase orthorhombic CBN. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy showed the particle size in the range of ~0.5–1 μm for CBN obtained by SSR and 50–70 nm size nanospheres using CM, respectively. Interestingly, nanospheres of size 50–70 nm self assembled with 5–7 nm nanoparticles were observed in case of CBN prepared by CM.The optical properties were studied using UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and showed band gap around ~3.0 eV for SSR and 3.1 eV for CM. The slight shift in band gap of CM is due to nanocrystalline nature of material. Considering the band gap in visible region, the photocatalytic activity of CBN for hydrogen production from H_2S has been performed under visible light. CBN prepared by CM has shown utmost hydrogen evolution i.e. 6912 μmol/h/0.5 g which is much higher than CBN prepared using SSR.The enhanced photocatalytic property can be attributed to the smaller particle size, crystalline nature,high surface area and mesoporous structure of CBN prepared by combustion method. The catalyst was found to be stable, active and can be utilized for water splitting.     

Nickel sulfide modified TiO_2 nanotubes with highly efficient photocatalytic H_2 evolution activity

TiO_2 nanotubes(TNTs) with nickel sulfide(NiS) co-catalyst were prepared by a simple solvothermal method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, N_2-physisorption, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Loading NiS nano-clusters can significantly enhance the photocatalytic H_2 evolution performance of TNTs. The optimum NiS loading content was found to be 8 wt% and the corresponding hydrogen production rate is ca. 7486 μmol/h/g, being about 79 times higher than that of pure TNTs. This enhancement of photocatalytic H_2 evolution was attributed to the synergistic effect between NiS and TNTs.     

Photocatalytic decompositions of gaseous HCHO and methylene blue with highly ordered TiO_2 nanotube arrays

The highly ordered Ti O_2nanotubes(NTs) were fabricated by the anodic oxidation method.Their morphology,structure and crystalline phase were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffractometer(XRD).The effects of morphology,specific surface area,pore structures and photocatalytic activity of the Ti O_2 NTs were investigated.UV–vis spectra analysis showed that its light absorption had been extended to the visible light range.The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was evaluated by photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous HCHO and MB aqueous solution.The samples had better adhesion strength in the dark and showed a higher photocatalytic activity than nanoparticles.Especially,with ultraviolet light pretreatment,the nanotubes exhibited more stable active for photocatalytic decomposition and the photodecomposition rate remained at high level after 3 cycles of the photocatalysis experiment.Thus,how the number of surface active group ·OH increased and the mechanism for the great improvement for the photocatalytic activity are discussed.     

Magnetically recoverable Cu2O/Fe3O4 composite photocatalysts：Fabrication and photocatalytic activity

A magnetically separable Cu2O/Fe3O4 magnetic composite photocatalyst was synthesized in large quantities by a fast and simple route. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Furthermore, the Cu2O/Fe3O4 composite photocatalysts were tested using methyl orange （MO） degradation reaction under visible light irradiation （100 mW/cm2） and demonstrated to have a high photocatalytic efficiency toward the decomposition of MO under visible light irradiation with good recyclability.     

Facile oxalic acid-assisted construction of laminated porous N-deficient graphitic carbon nitride: Highly efficient visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution photocatalyst

The laminated porous N-deficient g-C_3N_4(CN–H)is successfully synthesized by a facile two-step hydrothermal calcination method using oxalic acid-assisted melamine as the precursor.Compared with pristine g-C_3N_4(224μmol g~(-1)h~(-1)),the CN–H shows superior photocatalytic hydrogen production activity(up to 728μmol g~(-1)h~(-1)),which is three times higher than the unmodified counterpart.To draw out the multifaceted influences of oxalic acid modification on the visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity,various techniques are utilized to investigate the formation mechanism,structural characteristics and photoelectrical properties of CN–H.The results indicate that the addition of a trace amount of oxalic acid to the precursor melamine results in a g-C_3N_4 structure possessing the advantage of both nitrogen defects and laminated porosity.These properties can enlarge specific surface areas of g-C_3N_4,enhance an efficient separating of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and extend the range of spectral response,all contributing to the enhancement of the visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity.     

Preparation and characterization of In and Cu co-doped ZnS photocatalysts for hydrogen production under visible light irradiation

In this work, a new photocatalyts In(0.1),Cu(x)-Zn S(x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.05) is successfully synthesized using simple hydrothermal method. The physical and chemical properties of the In and Cu co-doped Zn S photocatalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectroscopy(DR UV-visible) and photoluminescence spectroscopy(PL). The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared In and Cu co-doped Zn S for hydrogen production from water with Na_2SO_3 and Na_2S as sacrificial agent under visible light irradiation(λ≥ 425 nm) was investigated. The presence of co-dopants facilitated the separation of electron-hole as well as increases the visible light absorption. The absorption edge of the co-doped Zn S photocatalyst shifted to longer wavelength as the amount of Cu increases. This indicates that the absorption properties depended on the amount of Cu doped. The photocatalytic activity of single doped In(0.1)-Zn S was significantly enhanced by co-doping with Cu under visible light irradiation. The highest photocatalytic activity was observed on In(0.1),Cu(0.03)-Zn S with the hydrogen production rate of 131.32 μmol/h under visible light irradiation.This is almost 8 times higher than single doped In(0.1)-Zn S.     

Atomically Dispersed Main Group Magnesium on Cadmium Sul-fide as the Active Site for Promoting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis

Photoabsorption charge separation/transfer and surface reaction are the three main factors influencing the efficiency of photocatalysis.Band structure engineering has been extensively applied to improve the light absorption of photocatalysts,however,most of the developed photocatalysts still suffer from low photocatalytic performance due to the limited active site(s)and fast recombination of photogenerated charge carriers.In this work,atomically dispersed main group magnesium(Mg)is introduced onto CdS monodispersed nanospheres,which greatly enhances the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction.The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction rate reaches 30.6 mmol·gcatalyst^-1·h^-1,which is about 11.8 and 2.5 times that of pure CdS and Pt(2 wt.%)-CdS.The atomically dispersed Mg on CdS acts as an electron sink to trap photogenerated electrons,and at the same time,greatly reduces the Gibbs free energy of hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and accelerates HER.     

Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to methanol by Cu2O/SiC nanocrystallite under visible light irradiation

The Cu2O/SiC photocatalyst was obtained from SiC nanoparticles (NPs) modified by Cu2O. Their photocatalytic activities for reducing CO2 to CH3OH under visible light irradiation have been investigated. The results indicated that besides a small quantity of 6H-SiC, SiC NPs mainly consisted of 3C-SiC. The band gaps of SiC and Cu2O were estimated to be about 1.95 and 2.23 eV from UV-Vis spectra, respectively. The Cu2O modification can enhance the photocatalytic performance of SiC NPs, and the largest yields of methanol on SiC, Cu2O and Cu2O/SiC photocatalysts under visible light irradiation were 153, 104 and 191μmol/g, respectively.     

Covalent organic framework stabilized CdS nanoparticles as efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts for selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols

Noble-metal-free photocatalysts with high and stable performance provide an environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient route for green organic synthesis.In this work,CdS nanoparticles with small particle size and different amount were successfully deposited on the surface of covalent organic frameworks(COFs).The deposition of suitable content of CdS on COFs could not only modify the light adsorption ability and the intrinsic electronic properties,but also enhance the photocatalytic activity and cycling performance of CdS for the selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols under visible light.Especially,COF/CdS-3 exhibited the highest yield(97.1%) of benzalde hyde which is approximately 2.5 and 15.9 times as that of parental CdS and COF,respectively.The results show that the combination of CdS and COF can improve the utilization of visible light and the separation of photo-generated charge carriers,and COF with the π-conjugated system as supports for CdS nanoparticles could provide efficient electron transport channels and improve the photocatalytic performance.Therefore,this kind of COF-supported photocatalysts with accelerated photo-induced electrons and charge-carrier separation between semiconductors possesses great potentials in future green organic synthesis.     

铂沉积对Ga2O3-SiO2纳米粒子光催化性能的提高（英文）

Ga2O3‐SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by a sol‐gel method and Pt was then immobilized on their surface via photo‐assisted deposition (PAD). The produced samples were characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence emission spectroscopy, and surface area measurements. The catalytic performances of the Ga2O3‐SiO2 and Pt/ Ga2O3‐SiO2 samples were evaluated for the degradation of cyanide using visible light. XRD and EDX results showed that the Pt was well dispersed within the Ga2O3‐SiO2 phase and was detected on the surface of the catalyst, which confirmed the successful loading of Pt ions by the PAD method. BET results revealed that the surface area of Ga2O3‐SiO2 was higher than that of Pt/Ga2O3‐SiO2 . 0.3 wt% Pt/Ga2O3‐SiO2 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for degradation of cyanide under visible light. The catalyst could be reused with no loss in activity for the first 10 cycles.     

One-step solvothermal synthesis of N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles with high photocatalytic activity in the reduction of aqueous Cr（Ⅵ）

N-doped TiO2 （N-TiO2） nanoparticles were synthesized via a one-step low temperature （180℃） solvothermal route, which adopted NH4NO3 as the nitrogen source. The structure, composition, BET specific surface area, and optical properties of the as-synthesized product were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N2 adsorption- desorption isotherms, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. In addition, its photocatalytic properties were tested by the reduction of aqueous Cr（VI） under UV and visible light （x 〉 420 rim） irradiation. It was observed that for the reduction of aqueous Cr（VI）, the as-synthesized N-TiO2 nanoparticles not only exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than P25 TiO2 under UV light, but also exhibited remarkably high photocatalytic activity under visible light （λ 〉 420 nm）.