Boosting Hydrogen Evolution at Visible Light Wavelengths by Using a Photocathode with Modal Strong Coupling between Plasmons and a Fabry-Pérot Nanocavity

Hot-hole injection from plasmonic metal nanoparticles to the valence band of p-type semiconductors and reduction by hot electrons should be improved for efficient and tuneable reduction to obtain beneficial chemical compounds. We employed the concept of modal strong coupling between plasmons and a Fabry-Pérot (FP) nanocavity to enhance the hot-hole injection efficiency. We fabricated a photocathode composed of gold nanoparticles (Au−NPs), p-type nickel oxide (NiO), and a platinum film (Pt film) (ANP). The ANP structure absorbs visible light over a broad wavelength range from 500 nm to 850 nm via hybrid modes based on the modal strong coupling between the plasmons of Au−NPs and the FP nanocavity of NiO on a Pt film. All wavelength regions of the hybrid modes of the modal strong coupling system promoted hot-hole injection from the Au−NPs to NiO and proton/water reduction by hot electrons. The incident photon-to-current efficiency based on H₂ evolution through water/proton reduction by hot electrons reached 0.2 % at 650 nm and 0.04 % at 800 nm.     

氮掺杂改性二氧化钛光催化剂的研究进展

综述了近年来国内外利用氮掺杂改性二氧化钛的光催化剂性能、提高可见光的利用效率的最新研究进展;分析和讨论了氮掺杂二氧化钛的制备方法、理论计算和结构模型、掺杂机理等;总结了氮掺杂改性二氧化钛存在的问题,同时讨论了今后的研究方向.     

Carbon-nanodot-coverage-dependent photocatalytic performance of carbon nanodot/TiO_2 nanocomposites under visible light

Carbon nanodots(CDs) with visible absorption band and TiO_2 are integrated to enhance the photosensitivity of TiO_2.The CD/TiO_2 nanocomposites show obvious CD-coverage-dependent photocatalytic performance. The CD/TiO_2 nanocomposites with moderate CD coverge exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity after being irradiated with visible light, which is more excellent than that of TiO_2. Too little CD coverage could result in poor visible light absorption, which limits the photocatalytic performance of CD/TiO_2 nanocomposites. While, too much CD coverage weakens the photocatalytic activity of CD/TiO_2 nanocomposites by restraining the extraction of conduction band electrons within TiO_2 to generate active oxygen radicals and the electron transfer(ET) process from CDs to TiO_2. These results indicate that rational regulation of CD coverage and the realization of efficient ET process are important means to optimize the photocatalytic performance of CD/TiO_2 nanocomposites.     

Zn、Cu共掺杂TiO_2∶SiO_2薄膜材料的光学性能研究

用溶胶-凝胶法制得Zn、Cu共掺杂的TiO_2∶SiO_2凝胶,旋转法于玻璃基底涂膜,制得Zn、Cu共掺杂的TiO_2∶SiO_2薄膜,探讨了煅烧温度、煅烧时间及掺杂比例对其结构、形貌和性能的影响。采用XRD、FESEM、FTIR等测试技术对薄膜进行表征,并考察了其对甲基橙的光催化降解性能。XRD测试结果显示:薄膜样品的晶型为锐钛矿型,结晶良好。SEM谱图显示:薄膜微粒粒径小,分布均匀,表面平整、致密且无明显裂痕;紫外-可见光谱(UV-Vis)表明:Zn、Cu共掺杂的TiO_2∶SiO_2薄膜在紫外区和可见光区的吸光度明显增加,提高了对光的利用率;光催化性能测试表明:与纯相TiO_2对比,Zn、Cu共掺杂的TiO_2∶SiO_2薄膜对甲基橙的光催化降解率有较大提高,在600℃下焙烧2h的掺杂的量比为n(Ti)∶n(Si)∶n(Zn)∶n(Cu)=3∶2∶1.5∶4的薄膜样品光催化降解率最高。     

基于空气争化的介孔纳米TiO2的应用研究

本研究创建连续流动气相光催化实验系统,采用动态配气法生成一定低浓度的甲醛气体,开发利用介孔纳米TiO2为光催化材料,以促进利用光催化技术应用于消除室内有害污染气体更具实际意义和商业价值.研究表明,以非表面活性剂有机小分子三乙醇胺为模板剂制得了介孔TiO2材料,其粒径在20～30 nm之间;通过控制气流速度为7.5 cm/s以消除传质对反应的影响,在相对湿度为28%和反应温度为25℃的条件下,相对具有相近吸光性能和粒度的DegussaP25,介孔纳米TiO2具有更高的光催化降解甲醛的反应效率.     

Copper-Photocatalyzed Borylation of Organic Halides under Batch and Continuous-Flow Conditions

The copper-photocatalyzed borylation of aryl, heteroaryl, vinyl and alkyl halides (I and Br) was reported. The reaction proceeded using a new heteroleptic Cu complex under irradiation with blue LEDs, giving the corresponding boronic-acid esters in good to excellent yields. The reaction was extended to continuous-flow conditions to allow an easy scale-up. The mechanism of the reaction was studied and a mechanism based on a reductive quenching (Cu^I/Cu^I*/Cu⁰) was suggested.     

Applications of photocatalytic titanium dioxide-based nanomaterials in sustainable agriculture

Photocatalytic materials are attracting attention as emerging resources for agricultural applications. This timely review assesses the current developments in the use of biocompatible titanium dioxide (TiO₂)-based photocatalytic nanomaterials (TiO₂-PN) as models to unravel agricultural growth, harvest, and post-harvest problems. Such developments can lead to technological innovations aimed at addressing the pressing global environmental challenges faced by farming. TiO₂-PN have been used as antimicrobial, growth-regulating, and fertilizer-like agents. The promising agricultural research applications of TiO₂-PN are highlighted along with a discussion of the main challenges that will need to be overcome to fully understand the roles of TiO₂-PN in the sustainable and productive exploitation of land and water for agricultural applications under natural conditions. In particular, rhizosphere internalization, translocation, and plant bioaccumulation pathways of photocatalytic materials from environmental exposition are outlined to illustrate the effect of TiO₂ on the agricultural cycle. Nanotoxicology and regulations are also discussed to illustrate the importance of biocompatibility and green synthesis of nanomaterials for safe use in real applications. This overview is focused on motivating and intensifying our understanding of on-site agricultural studies. Complementary biological approaches and structural damage observed by biological transmission electron, scanning electron, and optical microscopies should accelerate the practical contribution of TiO₂-PN to sustainable agriculture in conjunction with plant factories and plasma nitrogen fixation technology. Loadings below 10 μg/L of TiO₂-PN with a size of 40 nm benefit seed germination and root elongation as well as partially suppressing metal root translocation. However, only approximately 5% of current studies were carried out in real agricultural settings.     

Porphyrin‐containing Polyimide with Enhanced Light Absorption and Photocatalysis Activity

A series of porphyrin‐containing polyimide (PI) photocatalysts were synthesized by a one‐step solvothermal method. Characterization results revealed that porphyrin was uniformly coupled into the PI framework through covalent bonding and the visible‐light absorption was greatly improved. The photodegradation activity of porphyrin‐containing PIs for methyl orange (MO) under visible light was enhanced significantly, with the highest pseudo‐first‐order rate constant 35 times higher than that of neat porphyrin and 10 times higher than that of porphyrin‐free PI. The enhancement is mainly attributed to an increased light harvesting accompanied by a varied HOMO level, which was clarified by control experiments, characterizations and theoretical calculations. This work provides an insight into multiple effects of dye molecules in dye‐containing heterogeneous photocatalysts.     

Construction and visible-light photocatalytic performance of carboxyethyltin/transition metal–functionalized wheel-like tungstophosphates

The wheel-like tungstophosphate ([P₈W₄₈O₁₈₄]⁴⁰⁻, abbreviated as P₈W₄₈) reacted with estertin trichloride (Cl₃SnRCH₃, R = CH₂CH₂COO) in aqueous solution, resulting in a new wheel-like polyoxometalate (POM) containing six SnR fragments, formulated as K₆Na₂₄[{(SnR(H₂O))₂(μ-OH)(μ-SnR(H₂O))}₂(P₈W₄₈O₁₈₄)]·59H₂O (abbreviated as Sn ₆ - P ₈ W ₄₈ ). Based on this, the transition metal (TM) was further introduced into the Sn ₆ - P ₈ W ₄₈ system, self-assembling three other wheel-like POMs with the general formula K_xNa_yH_{26 − x − y}[{TM(H₂O)₃(SnR(H₂O))₂(μ-OH)(μ-SnR(H₂O))}₂(P₈W₄₈O₁₈₄)]·nH₂O (abbreviated as TM ₂ - Sn ₆ - P ₈ W ₄₈ , TM = Mn, Co, Ni; x = 0, 1, 2; y = 19, 22, 15; n = 72, 85, 75, respectively). The structures of these new organometal and TM co-modified compounds were characterized using infrared, UV–Vis. spectroscopy, ¹¹⁹Sn NMR, and powder- and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The estertin precursor hydrolyzed into carboxyethyltin (SnR) fragment in these crystalline POM materials, which can improve their adhesion to titanium dioxide (TiO₂). The photocatalytic performance of Sn ₆ - P ₈ W ₄₈ , TM ₂ - Sn ₆ - P ₈ W ₄₈ , and their TiO₂ composites was examined by studying the degradation of a model dye pollutant Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation without adding hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and the photocatalytic mechanism was also discussed. The experimental results show that the title compounds exhibit a quicker and better photocatalytic degradation effect on RhB compared with their parent compound, indicating that the introduced organotin groups play a significant role. Moreover, it was found that H₂O₂ was produced after illumination pretreatment for POM solution, promoting the photocatalytic reaction.     

Visible-Light-Mediated Click Chemistry for Highly Regioselective Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition by a Photoredox Electron-Transfer Strategy

Click chemistry focuses on the development of highly selective reactions using simple precursors for the exquisite synthesis of molecules. Undisputedly, the Cu^I-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) is one of the most valuable examples of click chemistry, but it suffers from some limitations as it requires additional reducing agents and ligands as well as cytotoxic copper. Here, we demonstrate a novel strategy for the azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction that involves a photoredox electron-transfer radical mechanism instead of the traditional metal-catalyzed coordination process. This newly developed photocatalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction can be performed under mild conditions at room temperature in the presence of air and visible light and shows good functional group tolerance, excellent atom economy, high yields of up to 99 %, and absolute regioselectivity, affording a variety of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole derivatives, including bioactive molecules and pharmaceuticals. The use of a recyclable photocatalyst, solar energy, and water as solvent makes this photocatalytic system sustainable and environmentally friendly. Moreover, the azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction could be photocatalyzed in the presence of a metal-free catalyst with excellent regioselectivity, which represents an important development for click chemistry and should find versatile applications in organic synthesis, chemical biology, and materials science.