EPR study of the radicals formed upon UV irradiation of ceria-based photocatalysts

EPR measurements reveal remarkable differences on the type of radicals produced after UV illumination of TiO₂, CeO₂ and 0.8% CeO₂/TiO₂ photocatalysts. Photoactivation of the TiO₂ sample in vacuum results in the formation of Ti⁴⁺–O⁻ species and a small amount of Ti³⁺ centers. In the presence of adsorbed oxygen, irradiation of this material also generates Ti⁴⁺–O₃⁻ radicals. In the case of the CeO₂/TiO₂ catalyst, the ceria component is present in a highly dispersed state, as indicated by XRD and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) results. Accordingly, the only type of Ce⁴⁺–O₂⁻ adducts generated on the CeO₂/TiO₂ sample are indicative of the presence of two-dimensional patches of ceria on the anatase surface. On the other hand, photoactivation of the CeO₂/TiO₂ sample in the presence of oxygen also leads to the formation of some Ti⁴⁺–O⁻ and Ti³⁺ centers. In the case of the CeO₂ sample, superoxide radicals are observed upon irradiation in vacuum and subsequent oxygen adsorption. Further irradiation of this material in the presence of oxygen increases the amount of Ce⁴⁺–O₂⁻ radicals and simultaneously generates new species, which are tentatively assigned to Ce⁴⁺–O₂H radicals. Photocatalytic activity was tested for toluene oxidation, and the results obtained show that the photodegradation rate is slightly lower for CeO₂/TiO₂ than for the TiO₂ sample. However, the selectivity towards benzaldehyde (6–13%) is comparable for both materials. In the case of CeO₂, the photo-oxidation rate is an order of magnitude lower than for TiO₂, although mineralization of toluene is almost complete. Photoactivity results are discussed in connection with the characteristics of the radicals observed.     

贵金属负载的棒状ZnO复合光催化剂的制备及其提升的光催化性能

以水热制备的ZnO纳米棒为基底,通过乙二醇液相还原法负载不同贵金属颗粒(Pt、Pd、Ru)构筑贵金属负载的ZnO纳米棒复合光催化剂。实验结果表明在制备条件相同时,Pt/ZnO样品中Pt颗粒尺寸较小,分布均匀;Pd/ZnO样品中Pd颗粒尺寸较大且团聚严重;Ru/ZnO样品则几乎没有Ru颗粒负载。在紫外光照射下降解亚甲基蓝的反应中,Pt/ZnO表现出最高的光催化性能,Pd/ZnO样品次之,而Ru/ZnO则表现出与ZnO纳米棒相似的光催化活性;表明小尺寸和大小均匀的贵金属颗粒对ZnO纳米棒的催化性能有着显著的提升作用。对Pt/ZnO来说,当Pt载量为3.2%时Pt/ZnO催化剂的光催化活性最高。     

Comparative Studies on Degradation of Methyl Orange by Nanostructured Zinc and Zinc Oxide Films

Nanostructured zinc and zinc oxide films were prepared by magnetron sputtering processes and succeeded air annealing treatments. Comparison of reductive degradation rate of methyl orange (MO) by zinc films and photocatalytic degradation rate of MO by zinc oxide films was carried out. Both reductive degradation and photocatalytic degradation process of MO by zinc and zinc oxide films can be described by first order kinetic model. It was found that although MO liquid was most quickly decolorized by metallic zinc films, the mineraliza-tion of MO was not thorough. Observation of extra ultraviolet absorption peaks indicated the formation of aromatic intermediates. On the other hand, although the photocatalytic degradation rate of MO liquid by ZnO films was only as about 1/4 large as the reductive degradation rate by zinc films, no signs of aromatic intermediates were found. Moreover, it was found that partially oxidized zinc oxide film showed higher photocatalytic efficiency than the totally oxidized ZnO films. Synergy effect between zinc and zinc oxide phase in the partially oxidized films was considered to be responsible for the higher photocatalytic efficiency.     

光催化氧化降解聚乙二醇的机理研究

以纳米TiO2为光催化剂,对聚乙二醇水溶液进行光催化降解实验.气相色谱、热重、红外、核磁共振等测定结果表明降解过程有低分子量聚乙二醇和甲酸酯及其他低分子量酯等中间产物生成,最终矿化为CO2和H2O.     

In situ Carbon Modification of g-C3N4 from Urea co-Crystal with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity Towards Degradation of Organic Dyes Under Visible Light

An in situ strategy was introduced for synthesizing carbon modified graphitic carbon nitride(g-C₃N₄) by using urea/4-aminobenzoic acid(PABA) co-crystal(PABA@Urea) as precursor materials. Via co-calcination of the PABA co-former and the urea in PABA@Urea co-crystals, C guest species were generated and compounded into g-C₃N₄ matrix in situ by replacing the lattice N of the carbon nitride and forming carbon dots onto its layer surface. The carbon modification dramatically enhanced visible-light harvesting and charge carrier separation. Therefore, visible light photo-catalytic oxidation of methylene blue(MB) pollution in water over the carbon modified g-C₃N₄(C/g-C₃N₄) was notably improved. Up to 99% of methylene blue(MB) was eliminated within 60 min by the optimal sample prepared from the PABA@Urea co-crystal with a PABA content of 0.1%(mass ratio), faster than the degradation rate over bare g-C₃N₄. The present study demonstrates a new way to boost up the photocatalysis performance of g-C₃N₄, which holds great potential concerning the degradation of organic dyes from water.     

纳米ZnO光催化降解甲基橙研究

以ZnSO4.7H2O和Na2CO3为原料,采用沉淀法制备纳米ZnO粉体。以甲基橙为研究对象,高压汞灯(主波长365nm)为光源,研究了催化剂用量、甲基橙初始浓度、光强度、电解质(Cl-、SO42-、NO3-)及pH值等对甲基橙降解率的影响。     

Photodegradation of polyglycidol in aqueous solutions exposed to UV irradiation

The photodegradation of polyglycidol in aqueous solution with UV wavelength of 254 nm was investigated. The experiments were carried out in air at a constant temperature and the photodegradation of polyglycidol (PGl) was compared to that of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), the most widely studied polyether. Size exclusion chromatography with multiangle light scattering detection (SEC-MALLS) was used to measure the changes in the molar masses and molar mass dispersities of polymers during degradation. The molar mass of PGl decreased dramatically during the first period of UV irradiation and then gradually approached a limiting value of 17,000 g/mol, regardless of the initial polymer concentration. PEO was less sensitive to UV irradiation than polyglycidol however, both polymers degrade mainly via chain scission. The degradation of PGl and PEO leads to acidification of their water solution. The photooxidation products were analyzed by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy and the spectrophotometric results revealed that the irradiation of the polymers led to the formation of carbonyl groups in the macromolecular chains. A mechanism accounting for the main routes of PGl photooxidation is proposed.     

Synthesis and Characterization of TiO2 Doped ZnO Microtubes

The TiO₂-doped ZnO microtubes have been successfully fabricated via a wet chemicalmethod, using zinc chloride and titanium sulphate as the starting materials. The as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electronmicroscopy and room temperature photoluminescence measurement. The photocatalytic ac-tivity in degrading methyl orange was measured with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The pure ZnO microtubes exhibit an exact hexangular hollow structure with a diameter of about 700 nm, a length of 3 μm and a wall thickness of about 40 nm. The TiO₂-doped ZnO microtubes with TiO₂/ZnO ratio less than 5% have the same dimension with the pure ZnO microtubes, a smooth column shape, not a hexangular structure. The growth of ZnO may be inhibited by the more Ti⁴⁺ doped into ZnO structure to achieve a small dimension or a multiphase. The crystallinity of ZnO microtubes decreases with increasing TiO₂ content, and then a multiphase containing ZnO, Ti₃O₅ and TiO occur when the TiO₂/ZnO ratio is more than 5%. The UV emission intensity of the TiO₂-doped ZnO obviously increases and then tends to decrease with TiO₂/ZnO ratio increasing. The photocatalytic properties of the TiO₂-doped ZnO microtubes are very effcient in degrading organic dyes of methyl orange and are well identical with its PL properties and the crystallinity.     

Thermal and FT-IR study of the hybrid ethylene-glycol–silica matrix

Synthesis by sol-gel method of mixed semiconductor ZnO-Fe₂O₃ was carried out using inorganic salts as precursors. The powders were synthesized at different pH (neutral and basic) in order to study its influence on the properties of the catalysts. These materials were characterized by thermal analysis TGA-DTA, X-ray Diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The specific surface area of the solids was calculated from nitrogen adsorption isotherms by BET method. The band gap energy (E _g ) of the catalysts was obtained from it UV-Vis spectra (diffuse reflectance) when the crystalline phase was formed under thermal treatment at 350°C by 3 h. The incorporation of Fe₂O₃ to ZnO semiconductor gives as a result a lower E _g value for zinc oxide. Catalytic activity of the materials was evaluated using as test reaction the photocatalytic degradation of potassium cyanide in aqueous dissolution. The catalyst ZnO-Fe₂O₃ synthesized at pH 7 turned out to be superior than sol-gel and commercial ZnO under similar conditions.     

海藻酸锌纤维热降解法制备氧化锌纳米结构

采用天然高分子海藻酸钠为原料, 以氯化锌水溶液为凝固浴, 通过湿法纺丝技术成功制备了海藻酸锌(Alg-Zn)纤维.通过在空气中不同温度下对所得海藻酸锌纤维进行热处理, 得到了多种ZnO纳米结构. 利用热失重分析(TG)、X射线衍射(XRD)、电子能量损失谱(EELS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)等手段对产物的组成、形貌和微观结构进行了详细表征. 结果表明, 焙烧温度和时间对所得ZnO纳米结构的尺寸和形貌具有重要影响; 800 ℃下热处理24 h以上可以得到直径约为120 nm的ZnO纳米棒. 通过仔细考察不同热处理时间得到的ZnO纳米结构, 提出了在焙烧条件下ZnO纳米棒的生长机理.     

有机染料罗丹明B在复合催化剂TiO2-APS-PW11Ni作用下的光降解研究

利用自组装方式制备了多酸-有机胺-二氧化钛复合催化剂K5Ni(H2O)PW11O39-APS-TiO2(APS为(C2H5O)3SiCH2CH2CH2NH2的简称),简称为TiO2-APS-PW11Ni,通过红外(IR),紫外漫反射(UV/DRS)对其组成和结构进行了表征.并利用该催化剂光降解染料污染物罗丹明B(RB)水溶液,与纳米TiO2催化剂光降解进行对比,结果表明,染料罗丹明B在复合催化剂作用下的催化效果明显优于TiO2光催化效果,计算得降解半衰期分别为:T1/2(复合催化剂)＝6.5 min,T1/2(TiO2)＝21.2 min.     

Fe3+掺杂TiO2光催化降解聚乙烯薄膜的研究

以快速溶胶-凝胶法制备了纳米TiO₂光催化剂，并用Fe³⁺对其掺杂改性，在室温条件下, 用于固相光催化降解聚乙烯(PE)包装薄膜的研究. 对催化剂和薄膜进行了X衍射分析(XRD)、傅立叶红外光谱分析(FT-IR)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)形貌观察. 结果表明， 60 W紫外光辐射240 h后， PE失重为8.43%, 锐钛矿型纳米TiO₂光催化剂使PE失重30.66%；用Fe³⁺掺杂后，0.5%Fe₂O3/TiO₂、1.0%Fe₂O₃/TiO₂和2.0%Fe₂O3/TiO₂分别使PE失重35.91%、20.72%和13.30%. 光催化剂加速了PE的失重，碳链的断裂和光氧化腐蚀，在薄膜表面形成大量的坑洞，降解产物中的小分子量的石蜡含量明显增高. Fe³⁺掺杂有一个最佳量， 0.5%Fe₂O3/TiO₂光催化降解PE的活性最高.     

Fe3+掺杂TiO2光催化降解聚乙烯薄膜的研究

以快速溶胶-凝胶法制备了纳米TiO2光催化剂,并用Fe3 对其掺杂改性,在室温条件下,用于固相光催化降解聚乙烯(PE)包装薄膜的研究.对催化剂和薄膜进行了X衍射分析(XRD)、傅立叶红外光谱分析(FT-IR)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)形貌观察.结果表明,60W紫外光辐射240h后,PE失重为8.43%,锐钛矿型纳米TiO2光催化剂使PE失重30.66%;用Fe3 掺杂后,0.5?2O3/TiO2、1.0?2O3/TiO2和2.0?2O3/TiO2分别使PE失重35.91%、20.72%和13.30%.光催化剂加速了PE的失重,碳链的断裂和光氧化腐蚀,在薄膜表面形成大量的坑洞,降解产物中的小分子量的石蜡含量明显增高.Fe3 掺杂有一个最佳量,0.5?2O3/TiO2光催化降解PE的活性最高.     

Photodegradation of polyethylenes: Comparative effect of Fe and Ca-stearates as pro-oxidant additives

The effect of iron and calcium stearates on the degradation of polyethylene (LDPE and LLDPE), under natural and artificial exposure, has been studied. The activity of stearates has been evaluated by chemiluminescence and FTIR of polyethylenes. The analysis of the molecular weight changes and content of degradation products identified by GC-MS during ageing process confirmed their pro-degrading activity. Films containing stearates exhibited lower CL emission, and revealed the higher efficiency of Fe-Stearate compared to Ca-Stearate in decomposing hydroperoxides, leading to higher degradation during processing. The results were confirmed by TGA analysis, where the weight loss onset and T_max shifted to lower temperatures in polyethylenes with incorporation of Fe- and Ca-stearates compared to pure polymers.Polyethylenes were outdoor and accelerated exposed, and CL measured at different period of times. Chemiluminescence temperature-ramping tests under nitrogen showed the formation of a peroxide peak at lower temperature, and a significant increase in carbonyl index for PE containing stearates was found by FTIR. The results were supported by GC-MS, where the concentration of extracted products identified in the polyethylenes containing Fe-stearate was significant, and a much greater decrease in molecular weight was determined by GPC, which confirmed the development of degradation for polyethylenes with Fe-Stearates in comparison to pure or Ca-stearate polyethylenes.     

Photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol by UV/photocatalysts: the effect of the interparticle electron transfer process

Summary This study explores the photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP). Coupled-photocatalyst systems are tested to determine whether the interparticle electron transfer (IPET) process improves the photodegradation efficiency. TiO₂, ZnO and SnO₂ are selected as photocatalysts. In the single-photocatalyst test, ZnO exhibits the highest catalytic activity. The pseudo first-order rate constant of the coupled-catalyst system, ZnO/SnO₂, is approximately 22% higher than that of ZnO; these rate constants are 0.95 and 0.78 h^-1 at pH 11, respectively.     

Photocatalytic decomposition of dyes using ZnO doped SnO2 nanoparticles prepared by solvothermal method

ZnO doped SnO₂ has been successfully synthesized by the solvothermal method using methanol as organic solvent. The effect of ZnO/SnO₂ molar ratios on the crystal structure, microstructure, optical and photocatalytic properties has been investigated. The synthesized samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N₂ physical adsorption, FT-IR spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. XRD results revealed that all diffraction peaks positions agree well with the reflection of a tetragonal rutile structure of SnO₂ phase without extra peaks at 0.1ZnO:0.9SnO₂ and 0.2ZnO:0.8SnO₂ molar ratios. However, the secondary phase of ZnO at 0.3ZnO:0.7SnO₂ molar ratio was investigated. TEM images revealed that the shape of SnO₂ particles was spherical and the particle sizes of SnO₂ and 0.3ZnO:0.7SnO₂ molar ratio were 6.2 and 16.4 nm, respectively. The newly prepared samples have been tested by the determination of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). The results indicated that Zn²⁺ doping at 0.3ZnO:0.7 SnO₂ molar ratio showed the highest photocatalytic activity for the MB photodegradation. The heightened photocatalytic activity of ZnO/SnO₂ could be ascribed to the enhanced charge separation derived from the coupling of ZnO with SnO₂ due to the potential energy differences between SnO₂ and ZnO. The recycling tests demonstrated that 0.3ZnO:0.7 SnO₂ photocatalysts were quite stable during that liquid–solid heterogeneous photocatalysis since no decrease in activity in the first four cycles was observed.     

Evolution of products during the degradation of polyethylene in a batch reactor

The thermal degradation of two polyethylene samples (LDPE and HDPE) has been carried out in a batch reactor under dynamic conditions. The evolution of products generated after regular intervals of 5 min (temperature increments of approximately 25 °C) has been analyzed. The behaviour of LDPE and HDPE has been compared, and no differences in the quantity and weight fraction of the gaseous products obtained have been found. For both polymers, n-paraffins are the major products at the very beginning of the process, while as the decomposition proceeds 1-olefins are more abundant. The condensed fraction is much larger than the gaseous fraction and its analysis reveals some differences between the behaviour of LDPE and HDPE at the beginning of the degradation process. These differences disappear at higher temperatures where more similar trends are observed. 1-Olefins, n-paraffins, dienes and olefins with wide carbon number distributions are the most important condensed compounds obtained in the thermal degradation of both polyethylenes. The formation of 1-olefins and n-paraffins begins at slightly lower temperatures than for dienes and olefins. On the other hand, as the temperature increases, the amount of low and high molecular weight compounds increases at the expense of intermediate molecular weight products and the former become the most important by the end of the degradation process. This behaviour could be related to the thermal cracking of waxes through secondary reactions.     

Shape-controlled fabrication of porous ZnO architectures and their photocatalytic properties

In this paper, we report a simple two-step approach to prepare porous octahedron- and rod-shaped ZnO architectures. The morphology of porous ZnO particles can be conveniently tuned by controlling morphologies of the ZnC₂O₄·2H₂O precursor. SEM and TEM characterization results indicate that these porous ZnO architectures are built up by numerous ZnO primary nanoparticles with random attachment. Based on thermogravimetry analysis, we believe that the release of water vapor, CO and CO₂ leads to the formation of high-density pores in shape-controlled particles during the calcination process. Further experimental results indicate that as-prepared porous ZnO particles exhibit good photocatalytic activity due to large surface area.     

纳米ZnO薄膜的制备及其可见光催化降解甲基橙

采用溶胶-凝胶方法制备ZnO透明溶胶, 在铝箔上涂膜后经500 ℃处理制得具有可见光响应的纳米ZnO薄膜光催化剂. 以甲基橙模拟有机污染物, 在可见光下研究了薄膜的降解性能, 结果表明, 用一片有效面积为200 cm2的ZnO/Al薄膜作为催化剂, 甲基橙的降解率达到96.3％, 比ZnO负载在玻璃上制得的ZnO/glass薄膜催化剂活性高得多. 采用扫描电镜与原子力显微镜对ZnO/Al薄膜制备条件进行了表征, 结果发现多孔ZnO/Al薄膜比致密ZnO/Al薄膜具有更高的活性, 实验制备的具有高活性的ZnO/Al薄膜颗粒平均直径为52.2 nm. 采用本方法制备的ZnO/Al薄膜是一种具有应用前景的, 能在可见光下降解有机物的有效光催化剂.     

Fe2O3掺杂对WO3光催化降解有机染料X3B的影响

发展高效的可见光催化剂是太阳能化学利用的一个挑战. 本文采用简单的混合方法, 制备了WO₃和Fe₂O₃的混合物, 研究了该复合氧化物在H₂O₂存在下光催化降解有机染料X3B的活性. 实验表明, 催化剂的光催化活性与其煅烧温度和Fe₂O₃含量有关. 最佳煅烧温度和Fe₂O₃含量分别等于400 °C 和1.0% (w). 根据自由基捕获电子顺磁共振(EPR)波谱分析, 复合氧化物产生羟基自由基的量远高于Fe₂O₃和WO₃. 我们推测, 这种协同效应来源于WO₃和Fe₂O₃之间的电荷转移, 从而加快半导体光生载流子的分离和X3B的光催化降解.