混合熔盐法低温合成Sm2Ti2S2O5及其光催化分解水产氢

以TiO2、TiS2及Sm2O3为前驱体,分别加入LiCl-KCl与LiCl-CsCl的最低共熔混合物作为熔盐,在较低温度下成功合成了Sm2Ti2S2O5(STSO)颗粒。通过对比不同温度下所制备产物的X射线衍射图,首次表明STSO的热力学结晶温度在520℃左右,远低于之前报道的650℃的最低合成温度。扫描电子显微镜照片显示,采用2种混合熔盐制备的STSO都呈片状形貌;同一合成温度下,采用LiCl-CsCl熔盐制备的STSO的厚度小于LiCl-KCl所得产物。采用出射光波长大于420 nm的氙灯作为光源,在含有Na2S-Na2SO3空穴牺牲剂的溶液中,所制备的STSO颗粒表现出最高35μmol·h-1的光催化分解水产氢活性以及20 h以上的产氢稳定性。     

Visible‐Light Sensitization of Vinyl Azides by Transition‐Metal Photocatalysis

Irradiation of vinyl and aryl azides with visible light in the presence of Ru photocatalysts results in the formation of reactive nitrenes, which can undergo a variety of C? N bond‐forming reactions. The ability to use low‐energy visible light instead of UV in the photochemical activation of azides avoids competitive photodecomposition processes that have long been a significant limitation on the synthetic use of these reactions.     

Metal Oxide‐Coated Three‐Dimensional Graphene Prepared by the Use of Metal–Organic Frameworks as Precursors

A simple method for the preparation of metal‐oxide‐coated three‐dimensional (3D) graphene composites was developed. The metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) that served as the precursors of the metal oxides were first synthesized on the 3D graphene networks (3DGNs). The desired metal oxide/3DGN composites were then obtained by a two‐step annealing process. As a proof‐of‐concept application, the obtained ZnO/3DGN and Fe₂O₃/3DGN materials were used in a photocatalytic reaction and a lithium‐ion battery, respectively. We believe this method could be extended to the synthesis of other metal oxide/3DGN composites with 3D structures simply through the appropriate choice of specific MOFs as precursors.     

Mapping of the Photoinduced Electron Traps in TiO2 by Picosecond X‐ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is the most popular material for applications in solar‐energy conversion and photocatalysis, both of which rely on the creation, transport, and trapping of charges (holes and electrons). The nature and lifetime of electron traps at room temperature have so far not been elucidated. Herein, we use picosecond X‐ray absorption spectroscopy at the Ti K‐edge and the Ru L₃‐edge to address this issue for photoexcited bare and N719‐dye‐sensitized anatase and amorphous TiO₂ nanoparticles. Our results show that 100 ps after photoexcitation, the electrons are trapped deep in the defect‐rich surface shell in the case of anatase TiO₂, whereas they are inside the bulk in the case of amorphous TiO₂. In the case of dye‐sensitized anatase or amorphous TiO₂, the electrons are trapped at the outer surface. Only two traps were identified in all cases, with lifetimes in the range of nanoseconds to tens of nanoseconds.     

Magnetic Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposites for Surface‐Enhanced Resonance Raman Spectroscopic Determination and Degradation of Toxic Anilines and Phenols

Mesoporous M‐TiO₂ NCs, functionalized by PATP, can capture toxic anilines and phenols by azo coupling. Loading these nanodevices with Ag NPs offers the possibility for a sensitive quantitative determination of target compounds by SERRS spectroscopy, which allows multiplex detection because of the specific vibrational fingerprints. Sensitivity and selectivity can be further enhanced by concentrating the hybrid particles by an external magnet and compound‐specific binding (anilines versus phenols). The bound toxic compounds can be degraded by TiO₂‐assisted photocatalysis after removal of the loaded hybrid particles from the sample solution with an external magnet. The degradation process can be enhanced in the presence of plasmonic Ag nanostructures.     

Mechanistic Insights into the Interface‐Directed Transformation of Thiols into Disulfides and Molecular Hydrogen by Visible‐Light Irradiation of Quantum Dots

Quantum dots (QDs) offer new and versatile ways to harvest light energy. However, there are few examples involving the utilization of QDs in organic synthesis. Visible‐light irradiation of CdSe QDs was found to result in virtually quantitative coupling of a variety of thiols to give disulfides and H₂ without the need for sacrificial reagents or external oxidants. The addition of small amounts of nickel(II) salts dramatically improved the efficiency and conversion through facilitating the formation of hydrogen atoms, thereby leading to faster regeneration of the ground‐state QDs. Mechanistic studies reveal that the coupling reaction occurs on the QD surfaces rather than in solution and offer a blueprint for how these QDs may be used in other photocatalytic applications. Because no sacrificial agent or oxidant is necessary and the catalyst is reusable, this method may be useful for the formation of disulfide bonds in proteins as well as in other systems sensitive to the presence of oxidants.     

An Unexpected Fluctuating Reactivity for Odd and Even Carbon Numbers in the TiO2‐Based Photocatalytic Decarboxylation of C2‐C6 Dicarboxylic Acids

The degradation behaviours of five straight‐chain dicarboxylic acids (from ethanedioic acid to hexanedioic acid) were compared in aqueous TiO₂‐based photocatalysis. When all other conditions were identical, the degradation rates were found to fluctuate regularly with the parity of the number of carbon atoms. Dicarboxylic acids with an even number of carbon atoms (e‐DAs) always degraded more slowly than those acids with an odd number of carbon atoms (o‐DAs). This unusual fluctuation in the reactivity for the degradation of dicarboxylic acids by TiO₂‐based photocatalysis is very closely related to the different pre‐coordination modes of the acids with the photocatalyst. Attenuated total reflection FTIR (ATR‐FTIR) of e‐DAs labelled with ¹³C showed that both carboxyl groups of the acid coordinate to TiO₂ through bidentate chelating forms. In contrast, only one carboxyl group of the o‐DAs coordinated to TiO₂ in a bidentate chelating manner, whereas the other formed a monodentate binding linkage. The bidentate chelating form with bilateral symmetric coordination did not favour degradation. Isotope‐labelling experiments were performed with ¹⁸O₂ to observe the different ways in which incorporated oxygen entered the initial decarboxylated products of e‐ and o‐DAs. For the degradation of butanedioic acid, (45.9±0.5) % of the oxygen in the formed propanedioic acid came from H₂O, whereas for pentanedioic acid, (97.4±0.2) % of the oxygen in the formed butanedioic acid came from H₂O. Our results demonstrate that in TiO₂‐based photocatalysis, the reactivity of active species, such as ^. OH/h_vb⁺, is far from non‐selective and that the attacks of these active species on organic substrates are significantly affected by the coordination patterns of the substrates on the TiO₂ surface.     

Unravelling the Relationship between Raman Enhancement and Photocatalytic Activity on Single Anisotropic Au Microplates

Anisotropic noble‐metal structures are attracting increasing attention because of interesting size‐ and shape‐dependent properties and have emerging applications in the fields of optics and catalysis. However, it remains a significant challenge to overcome chemical contributions and acquire molecular insight into the relationship between Raman enhancement and photocatalytic activity. This study gives visualized experimental evidence of the anisotropic spatial distribution of Raman signals and photocatalytic activity at the level of single nanometer‐thin Au microtriangles and microhexagons. Theoretical simulations indicate an anisotropic spatial distribution and sharpness‐dependent strength of the electric‐field enhancement. Analysis by using statistical surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) supports this view, that is, Raman enhancement is on the order of corner>edge>face for a single microplate, but SERS measurements at different depths of focus also imply a concentration‐dependent feature of SERS signals, especially at the corners and edges. Similarly, the SERS signals of product molecules in plasmonic photocatalysis also exhibit asymmetrical strengths at different corners of the same microplate. However, by examining the variations in the relative intensities of the SERS peaks, the difference in the photocatalytic activities at the corners, edges, and faces has been successfully calculated and is highly consistent with electric‐field simulations, thus indicating that an increased number of molecules adsorbed at specific sites does not necessarily lead to a higher conversion ratio in noble‐metal photocatalysis. Our strategy weakens the assumed impact of plasmonic local heating and, to a certain extent, excludes the influence of concentration effects and chemical contributions in noble‐metal photocatalysis, thus clearly profiling plasmon‐related characteristics. This study also promises a new research direction to understand the enhancement mechanism of SERS‐active structures.     

Functionalized Membranes for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Functionalized vesicles for photocatalytic hydrogen production in water have been prepared by co‐embedding of amphiphilic photosensitizers and a hydrogen‐evolving catalyst in phospholipid membranes. The self‐assembly allows a simple two‐dimensional arrangement of the multicomponent system with close spatial proximity, which gave turnover numbers up to 165 for the incorporated amphiphilic cobaloxime water reduction catalyst 3 b under optimized conditions in purely aqueous solution. Superior photocatalytic activity in fluid membranes indicates that mobility and dynamic reorganization of catalytic subunits in the membrane promote the visible‐light‐driven hydrogen production. The functionalized membranes represent nanostructured assemblies for hydrogen production in aqueous solution mimicking natural photosynthesis.