Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of Nd-doped ZnSe nanoparticles with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

In the present study, Nd³⁺-doped ZnSe nanoparticles with variable Nd contents were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal process using Neodymium (III) chloride hexahydrate as the doping source. X-ray diffraction, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used for characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles. It was confirmed by the DRS analysis that both of the undoped and Nd-doped ZnSe samples had significant optical absorption in the visible light range. The photocatalytic performance of as-synthesized nanoparticles was investigated towards the decolorization of C. I. Acid Orange 7 solution under visible light irradiation. Results indicated that the loading of Nd dopant into ZnSe nanoparticles significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity of pure ZnSe with increasing Nd loading up to 6 mol% (color removal efficiency of 24.31 % for ZnSe and 84.20 % for Nd_0.06Zn_0.94Se after 120 min of treatment) and then the photocatalytic activity began to decrease.     

Surfactant assisted hydrothermal synthesis of SnO nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic activity

SnO nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized in the presence of Triton-X 100 (TX-100) surfactant via hydrothermal method for the first time, and the photocatalytic activity under UV and visible light irradiation for the degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RdB) organic textile dyes was investigated. The structural, morphological and chemical characterizations were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–vis. diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) analysis. The results reveal that the addition of surfactant, TX-100, in the precursor solutions leads to reduction in crystallite size with significant changes in morphological structure of SnO nanoparticles. The synthesized SnO nanoparticles show excellent photocatalytic activity under UV or visible light irradiation. MB and RdB dyes degraded completely under UV irradiation after 90 and 150 min, respectively. Also, MB and RdB dyes degraded only 150 min later under visible light illumination with a little amount of photocatalyst (0.8 g/L). Hence, this work explores the facile route to synthesizing efficient SnO nanoparticles for degrading organic compound under both UV and visible light irradiations.     

氮自掺杂暴露（001）晶面TiO2微米片的可见光光催化CO2还原性能增强

化石能源的使用可产生大量CO2,带来严重的温室效应。光催化CO2还原生产太阳燃料技术既有望缓解温室效应,又可以将低能量密度的太阳能转化为高能量密度的化学能储存起来方便使用。高效光催化材料的开发是发展光催化技术的关键。迄今,在已开发的所有半导体光催化材料中, TiO2仍是广泛研究的明星材料。在实际使用中, TiO2的光催化效率仍受限于其极弱的可见光利用率和较高的电子-空穴复合几率。近年来,越来越多的研究表明TiO2的结构与形貌特征极大地影响其光催化效率。尤其, TiO2的外露晶面设计与晶面效应研究引起了广泛关注。由于具有较高表面能和较多表面不饱和键,起初大多数理论和实验研究认为锐钛矿TiO2(001)晶面是光催化活性晶面。后来,越来越多研究表明并非锐钛矿TiO2(001)晶面的暴露比例越高其光催化活性就越高。最近,我们发现锐钛矿TiO2(001)晶面与(101)晶面在调控光催化CO2还原性能上具有良好的协同效应。密度泛函理论计算表明,锐钛矿TiO2的(001)晶面与(101)晶面的能带结构有差异,(001)晶面的导带位置相对于(101)晶面而言较高,而(101)晶面的价带位置相对于(001)晶面而言较低。基于此我们提出,具有合适比例的锐钛矿TiO2的(001)晶面与(101)晶面的交界处可以形成最佳的表面异质结或晶面异质结。表面异质结的形成导致光生电子倾向于向(101)扩散,光生空穴倾向于向(001)扩散,从而促进光生电子-空穴分离,降低光生电子-空穴复合几率。在此工作基础上,我们直接以氮化钛为原料,氢氟酸为添加剂,通过简单的水热反应一步合成了氮自掺杂的TiO2微米片。利用X射线粉末衍射、扫描电镜、X射线光电子能谱、紫外-可见漫反射光谱、氮气吸附-脱附以及电化学阻抗谱等方法手段对所制备的光催化剂进行了基本结构与理化性质表征分析,并研究了其可见光光催化CO2还原性能。电镜照片结果表明,我们所制备的氮自掺杂锐钛矿TiO2微米片的(001)晶面与(101)晶面比例分别为65%和35%。基于我们前期研究结果, TiO2微米片的(001)晶面与(101)晶面可以形成表面异质结,具有良好的电荷分离效率,这也得到了电化学阻抗谱研究结果的证明。同时,由于N的原位掺杂,所制备的TiO2微米片具有优异的可见光捕获能力。由于可见光利用效率增强与光生电子-空穴分离效率提高这两方面的综合作用,所制备的氮自掺杂TiO2微米片具有非常好的可见光光催化CO2还原制甲醇性能,比商用P25及氮掺杂TiO2纳米粒子等参考样品的可见光光催化性能更优异。研究表明,通过原位自掺杂方法与晶面设计方法相结合,可以同时改善TiO2的可见光利用效率和光生电子-空穴分离效率,优化TiO2的可见光光催化性能,这也为后续开发新型高效光催化材料提供了新思路。     

Electrospun nanofibers of TiO2/CdS heteroarchitectures with enhanced photocatalytic activity by visible light

Herein, we have demonstrated that the electrospun nanofibers of TiO(2)/CdS heteroarchitectures could be fabricated through combining electrospinning technique with hydrothermal process. The configuration, crystal structure, and element composition of the as-prepared TiO(2)/CdS heteroarchitectures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), resonant Raman spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that the high-density hexagonal wurtzite CdS crystalline particles of ca. 6-40 nm in diameter were uniformly and closely grown on anatase TiO(2) nanofibers. Especially, the light-absorption properties as well as photocatalytic characteristics of pure TiO(2) nanofibers and TiO(2)/CdS heteroarchitectures with different amount loading of CdS were also investigated. The absorption of TiO(2)/CdS heteroarchitectures was extended to the visible due to effective immobilization of sensitizing agent CdS on TiO(2). In contrast with the pure TiO(2) nanofibers, the TiO(2)/CdS heteroarchitectures showed excellent photocatalytic activity by using rhodamine B dye as a model organic substrate under visible-light irradiation. It was worth noting that the cooperative photocatalytic mechanism of the TiO(2)/CdS heteroarchitectures was also discussed.     

Significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2/TiC coatings under visible light

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Rutile TiO2 forms on TiC coatings (TiO2/TiC coatings) during carbon-embedding heat treatment (cHT) for TiC coatings. The photocatalytic activity of...     

Preparation of polyaniline modified TaON with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activities

TaON modified by polyaniline (PANI), was prepared through a facile chemisorption process. PANI-modified TaON composites with good stabilities exhibit significantly higher photocatalytic activities than that of neat TaON on degradation of RhB under visible light irradiation, which may result from an enhancement of electron-hole separation between PANI and TaON.     

Defect induced nickel,nitrogen-codoped mesoporous TiO2 microspheres with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Nickel, nitrogen-codoped mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres (Ni–N–TiO₂) with high surface area, and an effective direct band gap energy of ∼2.58 eV. Nickel sulfate used as the Ni source and ammonia gas as the N source here. The efficiency of the as-prepared samples was investigated by monitoring the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The experimental results indicate that Ni-doped mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres show higher photocatalytic activity than mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres under visible light irradiation. It mainly due to that the electron trap level (Ni²⁺/Ni⁺) promoting the separation of charge carriers and the oxygen vacancies inducing the visible light absorption. In addition, Ni–N–TiO₂ shows enhanced activity compared with Ni–TiO₂. Codopants and dopants are found to be uniformly distributed in TiO₂ matrix. Among the all samples the 0.5% molar quantity of Ni dopant and 500 °C 2 h nitriding condition gives the highest photocatalytic activity. The treatment of ammonia gas on Ni–TiO₂ sample induced oxygen vancancies, substitutional and interstitial N. A suitable treatment by ammonia gas also promote separation of charge carriers and the absorption of visible light. The active species generated in the photocatalytic system were also investigated. The strategy presented here gives a promising route towards the development of a metal and non-metal codoped semiconductor materials for applied photocatalysis and related applications.     

Soft-templating synthesis of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride with enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution under visible light

g-C(3)N(4) with worm-like pore and narrow pore size distribution was synthesized by using Pluronic P123 as soft-template. The worm-like porous g-C(3)N(4) not only possesses high BET surface area but also redshifts its absorbance edge up to 800 nm, and shows photocatalytic activity even when the irradiation light λ > 700 nm.     

F and Fe co-doped TiO2 with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Four different sols, pure TiO₂, F doped TiO₂, Fe doped TiO₂, and F–Fe co-doped TiO₂ sols, were prepared by peroxidation at low temperature. The crystal structure, morphology, light adsorption, and photocatalytic properties of the pure and doped TiO₂ were examined by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry. The relationship between the average size, crystal type, range of visible light absorption, and photocatalytic activity and content and type of doped ions were investigated. The results showed that the average size of the F–Fe co-doped TiO₂ composed of both the anatase and rutile phases was the same as that of pure TiO₂. Furthermore, the visible light photocatalytic activity of the F–Fe co-doped TiO₂ was significantly improved over pure TiO₂, F-doped TiO₂, and Fe-doped TiO₂ due to the large red shift in the light adsorption edge.     

Plasmonic Ag/AgCl‐modified bismuth subcarbonate with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Plasmonic Ag/AgCl‐modified bismuth subcarbonate (Bi₂O₂CO₃) composites were prepared by a multistep process with hydrothermal, deposition, and photoreduction in the absence of organic capping agents. The properties of the obtained Ag/AgCl/Bi₂O₂CO₃ samples were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron, UV–visible diffuse reflectance, and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The results reveal that Ag/AgCl nanoparticles are dispersed on the Bi₂O₂CO₃ surface to achieve plasmonic Ag/AgCl/Bi₂O₂CO₃. The Ag/AgCl/Bi₂O₂CO₃ nanocomposites show improved rhodamine B (RhB) adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity compared with pure Bi₂O₂CO₃ and Ag/AgCl. In addition, the Ag/AgCl/Bi₂O₂CO₃ composite with 20 wt% Ag/AgCl exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity and remains stable for the photodegradation of RhB under visible light. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgCl/Bi₂O₂CO₃ may be attributed to the surface plasmon resonance effect of in situ generated Ag nanoparticles and synergistic effect of Ag/AgCl and Bi₂O₂CO₃, which increase the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron–hole pairs under visible light irradiation.     

Sonochemical synthesis and characterization of Cu2HgI4 nanostructures photocatalyst with enhanced visible light photocatalytic ability

These days, an important concern in water contamination is the remaining dyes from various sources (for instance, dye and dye intermediates industries, pulp and paper industries, textile industries, craft bleaching industries, tannery, and pharmaceutical industries, etc.), and a broad range of persistent organic contamination has been entered to the wastewater treatment systems or natural water supplies. Indeed, it is extremely hazardous and toxic to the living organism. Therefore, it is necessary to remove these organic pollutants before releasing them into the environment. Photocatalysis is a quickly growing technology for sewage procedures. For this purpose, Cu₂HgI₄ nanostructures were prepared via facile, and cost-effective sonochemical method. The effect of varied circumstances, such as various surfactants, sonication power, and sonication time was considered on the crystallinity, structure, shape, and particle size of products. Cu₂HgI₄ possesses a suitable bandgap (2.2 eV) in the visible area. The photocatalytic performance of the Cu₂HgI₄ was surveyed for the elimination of various organic dyes under visible radiation and exposed that this compound could degrade and remove methyl orange about 94.2% in an acidic medium after 160 min under visible light. Besides, the result showed that various parameters, including, pH, dye concentration, types of dyes, catalyst dosages, and time of irradiation affected the photocatalytic efficiency.     

Low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis of S-doped TiO2 with visible light photocatalytic activity

A one-step low-temperature hydrothermal route was developed for the synthesis of S-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts from TiS₂ and HCl. Crystalline TiO₂ was formed and sulfur could be efficiently doped into the anatase lattice under hydrothermal conditions. When the initial TiS₂ concentration is increased, the content of S-dopant and optical absorption in the visible region also increase. The photocatalytic activity of the S-doped TiO₂ was evaluated through the degradation of 4-chlorophenol under visible light irradiation. Our results show that the S-doped TiO₂ prepared by this hydrothermal approach possesses much higher photocatalytic activity than that obtained by the traditional high-temperature thermal annealing method.     

BiVO_4/MOF复合材料的合成及其光催化性能

通过简单溶剂热法制备了一种新型复合光催化剂BiVO_4/M IL-53(Fe);运用XRD、SEM/EDS、FT-IR、N_2吸附-脱附和UV-vis DRS等手段对其进行表征,并对其光催化降解RhB活性进行了研究,提出了相应的光催化降解RhB的可能机理。结果表明,相较于单一BiVO_4材料,复合催化剂的比表面积增大,且其光催化效率相较于纯BiVO_4和MIL-53(Fe)也有了较大的提高;其中,BF-2复合材料的光催化活性最高,分别约为纯MIL-53 (Fe)和BiVO_4的5. 2倍和8. 1倍。同时,BiVO_4/MIL-53(Fe)复合光催化剂经过四次循环实验后,仍能保持较稳定的光催化活性和结构。     

介孔AgBr/TiO_2-SiO_2光催化剂的制备及其可见光催化活性

通过沉积法将光活性AgBr半导体负载到介孔TiO_2-SiO_2载体上合成了新型的AgBr/TiO_2-SiO_2复合光催化剂.采用X射线衍射仪、高分辨透射电镜、紫外-可见吸收光谱仪等分析了AgBr/TiO_2-SiO_2复合光催化剂的结构和光谱性质;并采用BET法测定了样品的比表面积和孔分布.结果表明,介孔TiO_2-SiO_2载体的比表面积为135.5m2/g,平均孔径约为3.8nm,AgBr的负载可以有效地将AgBr/TiO_2-SiO_2复合光催化剂的吸收光谱从紫外光区扩展到可见光区,且AgBr和TiO_2形成了异质结结构,强化了AgBr与介孔TiO_2-SiO_2载体的协同作用.以罗丹明B作为探针分子,评价了AgBr负载量对复合光催化剂可见光催化活性的影响.结果发现,当AgBr∶TiO_2=0.1,0.2,0.3和0.4(物质的量之比,下同)时,复合光催化剂的光催化反应速率常数分别为0.008 5、0.028 6、0.024 6和0.019 3min-1,活性先增加后减小,当AgBr∶TiO_2=0.2时,复合光催化剂表现出最高的光催化活性,并且在5次循环测试中均表现出较高的光催化活性.     

Bismuth titanate pyrochlore microspheres: Directed synthesis and their visible light photocatalytic activity

Bismuth titanates, Bi₂Ti₂O₇ (BIT), with well-defined spherical structures were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal process without the use of any surfactant or template. XRD and SEM studies have shown that spheres could be fabricated in high yields by simply manipulating the concentrations of hydroxide ions. In this case, hydroxide ions seem to play a pivotal role in controlling the formation of seeds and growth rates of the BIT particles. On the basis of structural analysis of samples obtained at different concentrations of OH⁻, we also proposed a plausible mechanism to account for the formation of these distinctive morphologies under different conditions. The as-prepared BIT microspheres with good stability exhibited higher photocatalytic activities in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation than that in commercial P25 TiO₂. Furthermore, the enhanced photocatalytic performance for RhB degradation was also investigated with assistance of a small amount of H₂O₂.     

Nitrogen-doped titanate-anatase core-shell nanobelts with exposed {101} anatase facets and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Anatase TiO(2) with specifically exposed facets has been extensively studied for maximizing its photocatalytic activity. However, most previous preparation methods involve high-pressure processing and corrosive chemicals. Few works have been conducted on hierarchical composite nanostructures assembled from well-defined TiO(2) nanocrystals. Here, we report a facile method for the preparation of nitrogen-doped titanate-anatase core-shell nanobelts. Anatase nanorods with specifically exposed {101} facets were obtained from a simple evaporation-induced, self-assembly (EISA) process and coupled with another semiconductor photocatalyst. The composite material with improved visible-light-harvesting ability, high charge-hole mobility, and low electron-hole recombination exhibited high photocatalytic performance and stability. The results presented here will make significant contributions toward the development of delicate composite photocatalysts for photocatalytic water purification and solar energy utilization.     

Large-scale synthesis of uniform silver orthophosphate colloidal nanocrystals exhibiting high visible light photocatalytic activity

Silver orthophosphate nanocrystals with controlled particle size have been synthesized using a simple, reproducible and easily scaled up route based on the reaction between silver ions, oleylamine and phosphoric acid. The obtained nanocrystals are highly uniform in size and exhibit high visible light activity for the photodecomposition of organic compounds.     

Ta3N5 nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic efficiency under visible light irradiation

Nanocrystalline Ta(3)N(5) particles with a surface area of more than 33 m(2)/g were synthesized by nitridation of nanosized Ta(2)O(5) particles using NH(3) as the reactant gas. It was found that nanocrystalline Ta(2)O(5) was converted into Ta(3)N(5) completely (by X-ray diffraction, XRD) at 700 degrees C within 5.0 h, which was much lower than the temperature 900 degrees C for the complete nitridation of micrometer-sized Ta(2)O(5) powder. The oxide precursor and the resulting nitride were characterized by XRD analysis, transmission electron microscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and BET surface area techniques. The nitrogen contents in the prepared Ta(3)N(5) powders were quantitatively determined with a CHN elemental analyzer. Nanocrystalline Ta(3)N(5) showed an absorption edge of around 600 nm, and Ta(3)N(5) in the size of about 26 nm exhibited a blue shift of 15 nm in the adsorption edge. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared Ta(3)N(5) under UV-vis and visible light irradiation was compared to that of nanocrystalline TiO(2-x)N(x) using the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) as a model reaction. The Ta(3)N(5) nanoparticles showed the significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MB in comparison with the larger-sized Ta(3)N(5). Moreover, the nanocrystalline Ta(3)N(5) showed much higher photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation compared with TiO(2-x)N(x) in the same size.     

New photocatalyst BiOCl/BiOI composites with highly enhanced visible light photocatalytic performances

BiOCl/BiOI composites with a visible light response were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. Even though both single BiOCl and BiOI show low photocatalytic activity, BiOCl/BiOI composites provide enhanced efficiency in decomposing organic compounds including Methyl Orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB). Furthermore, the 20%BiOCl/BiOI composite shows the highest efficiency for decomposing MO, while the highest performance is observed for the degradation of RhB over 70%BiOCl/BiOI composite. A possible photocatalytic mechanism has been proposed based on the relative experiments and the band positions of BiOCl and BiOI.     

Heterostructural BiOI/TiO2 composite with highly enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance

Binary BiOI/TiO₂ hybrid material was synthesized via a sol-gel method combined with chemical etching. The as-prepared powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectra (PLS) and photocurrent response tests. Under visible light (λ > 420 nm), BiOI/TiO₂ degraded methyl orange (MO) efficiently and displayed much higher photocatalytic activity than that of pure BiOI. Moreover, BiOI/TiO₂ can effectively promote photooxidation of other organic dyes like rhodamine B (RhB), crystal violet (CV) and methylene blue (MB). In addition, the quenching effects of different scavengers proved that reactive O ₂ ^? and h⁺ played the major role in the MO degradation. The photocatalytic activity enhancement of BiOI/TiO₂ is closely related to the strong absorption in the visible region, and the efficient charge separation derived from the matching band potentials between BiOI and TiO₂, as well as the low recombination rate of the electron-hole pairs due to the heterojunction formed between BiOI and TiO₂.