scholarly journals Enhancement of Hydrogen Productions by Accelerating Electron-Transfers of Sulfur Defects in the CuS@CuGaS2 Heterojunction Photocatalysts

Catalysts ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namgyu Son ◽  
Jun Heo ◽  
Young-Sang Youn ◽  
Youngsoo Kim ◽  
Jeong Do ◽  
...  

CuS and CuGaS2 heterojunction catalysts were used to improve hydrogen production performance by photo splitting of methanol aqueous solution in the visible region in this study. CuGaS2, which is a chalcogenide structure, can form structural defects to promote separation of electrons and holes and improve visible light absorbing ability. The optimum catalytic activity of CuGaS2 was investigated by varying the heterojunction ratio of CuGaS2 with CuS. Physicochemical properties of CuS, CuGaS2 and CuS@CuGaS2 nanoparticles were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Compared with pure CuS, the hydrogen production performance of CuGaS2 doped with Ga dopant was improved by methanol photolysis, and the photoactivity of the heterogeneous CuS@CuGaS2 catalyst was increased remarkably. Moreover, the [email protected] catalyst produced 3250 μmol of hydrogen through photolysis of aqueous methanol solution under 10 h UV light irradiation. According to the intensity modulated photovoltage spectroscopy (IMVS) results, the high photoactivity of the CuS@CuGaS2 catalyst is attributed to the inhibition of recombination between electron-hole pairs, accelerating electron-transfer by acting as a trap site at the interface between CuGaS2 structural defects and the heterojunction.

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1712
Author(s):  
Appusamy Muthukrishnaraj ◽  
Salma Ahmed Al-Zahrani ◽  
Ahmed Al Otaibi ◽  
Semmedu Selvaraj Kalaivani ◽  
Ayyar Manikandan ◽  
...  

Towards the utilization of Cu2O nanomaterial for the degradation of industrial dye pollutants such as methylene blue and methyl orange, the graphene-incorporated Cu2O nanocomposites (GCC) were developed via a precipitation method. Using Hummers method, the grapheme oxide (GO) was initially synthesized. The varying weight percentages (1–4 wt %) of GO was incorporated along with the precipitation of Cu2O catalyst. Various characterization techniques such as Fourier-transform infra-red (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–visible diffused reflectance (UV-DRS), Raman spectroscopy, thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and electro chemical impedance (EIS) were followed for characterization. The cabbage-like morphology of the developed Cu2O and its composites were ascertained from field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). In addition, the growth mechanism was also proposed. The results infer that 2 wt % GO-incorporated Cu2O composites shows the highest value of degradation efficiency (97.9% and 96.1%) for MB and MO at 160 and 220 min, respectively. Further, its catalytic performance over visible region (red shift) was also enhanced to an appreciable extent, when compared with that of other samples.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 3504-3510 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Wallis ◽  
M. Wieligor ◽  
T. W. Zerda ◽  
S. Stelmakh ◽  
S. Gierlotka ◽  
...  

SiC nanowires were obtained by a reaction between vapor silicon and multiwall carbon nanotubes, CNT, in vacuum at 1200 °C. Raman and IR spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy, HRTEM, were used to characterize properties of SiC nanowires. Morphology and chemical composition of the nanowires was similar for all samples, but concentration of structural defects varied and depended on the origin of CNT. Stacking faults were characterized by HRTEM and Raman spectroscopy, and both techniques provided complementary results. Raman microscopy allowed studying structural defects inside individual nanowires. A thin layer of amorphous silicon carbide was detected on the surface of nanowires.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 2264-2270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Shao ◽  
Weiyue Xin ◽  
Xiaohong Yin

ZnO quantum dots and KNb3O8 nanosheets were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol where isopropanol is simultaneously oxidized to acetone . The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy (UV–vis). The photocatalytic activity of the materials was evaluated by formation rate of methanol under UV light irradiation at ambient temperature and pressure. The methanol formation rate of pure KNb3O8 nanosheets was found to be 1257.21 μmol/g/h, and after deposition of 2 wt % ZnO quantum dots on the surface of KNb3O8 nanosheets, the methanol production rate was found to increase to 1539.77 μmol/g/h. Thus, the ZnO quantum dots obviously prompted separation of charge carriers, which was explained by a proposed mechanism for this photocatalytic reaction.


NANO ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (05) ◽  
pp. 1850056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yugan He ◽  
Qi Yan ◽  
Xiaoyu Chang ◽  
Meiying Zhu ◽  
Weiwei Wang ◽  
...  

A TiO2 photocatalyst with peony-like microstructures and a large percentage of exposed {001} facets was synthesized using a facile solvethermal method. The peony-like TiO2 was obtained using HF as a capping agent, TiCl4 as the precursor and ethanol as the solvothermal agent. The parameters which influence the mophology and formation mechanism of the products including the HF concentration, the reaction time and temperature and the solvothermal solvent, were investigated. The samples were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and N2 adsorption and desorption analysis. As the reaction time or reaction temperature increased, the morphology TiO2 changed from hexagonally assembled microspheres to peony-like microflowers which were composed of stacks of ultrathin nanosheets. The other reaction parameters also play a crucial role in the formation of the TiO2 microstuctures. Photocatalytic experiments showed that the synthesized TiO2 outperformed Degussa P25 in the photodegradation of methelene blue under a very weak UV light irradiation (power: 8[Formula: see text]W, light intensity: 0.4[Formula: see text]mW[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text]).


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj Pudukudy ◽  
Zahira Yaakob

α-Mn2O3 microspheres with high phase purity, crystallinity, and surface area were synthesized by the thermal decomposition of precipitated MnCO3 microspheres without the use of any structure directing agents and tedious reaction conditions. The prepared Mn2O3 microspheres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and photoluminescence (PL) studies. The complete thermal transformation of MnCO3 to Mn2O3 was clearly shown by the FTIR and XRD analysis. The electron microscopic images clearly confirmed the microsphere-like morphology of the products with some structural deformation for the calcined Mn2O3 sample. The mesoporous texture generated from the interaggregation of subnanoparticles in the microstructures is visibly evident from the TEM and BET studies. Moreover, the Mn2O3 microstructures showed a moderate photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue dye pollutant under UV light irradiation, using air as the potential oxidizing agent.


2011 ◽  
Vol 335-336 ◽  
pp. 460-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Mei Wang ◽  
Da Peng Zhou ◽  
Yuan Lian ◽  
Ming Pang ◽  
Dan Liu

Hexagonal flower-like CdS nanostructures were successfully synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method with thiourea as sulfur source. By combining the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the structural and morphological characterizations of the products were performed. The photocatalytic activity of CdS nanostructures had been tested by degradation of Rhodamine B (RB) under UV light compared to commercial CdS powders, which indicated that the as-syntherized CdS nanostructures exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity for degradation of RB. The possible growth mechanism of CdS nanostructures was proposed in the end.


2011 ◽  
Vol 374-377 ◽  
pp. 956-959
Author(s):  
Li Yun Yang ◽  
Gui Peng Feng ◽  
Yong Cai Zhang

ZnO2 nanorods were synthesized via hydrothermal treatment of 2ZnCO3•3Zn(OH)2 powder in 30 mass% H2O2 aqueous solution at 170 °C for 12 h, and characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra. Besides, the photocatalytic activity of the as-synthesized ZnO2 nanorods was tested for the degradation of methyl orange in distilled water under UV light irradiation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanja Ćulubrk ◽  
Željka Antić ◽  
Vesna Lojpur ◽  
Milena Marinović-Cincović ◽  
Miroslav D. Dramićanin

Herein we presented hydrolytic sol-gel synthesis and photoluminescent properties of Eu3+-doped Gd2Ti2O7pyrochlore nanopowders. According to Gd2Ti2O7precursor gel thermal analysis a temperature of 840°C is identified for the formation of the crystalline pyrochlore phase. Obtained samples were systematically characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The powders consist of well-crystalline cubic nanocrystallites of approximately 20 nm in size as evidenced from X-ray diffraction. The scanning and transmission electron microscopy shows that investigated Eu3+-doped Gd2Ti2O7nanopowders consist of compact, dense aggregates composed entirely of nanoparticles with variable both shape and dimension. The influence of Eu3+ions concentration on the optical properties, namely, photoluminescence emission and decay time, is measured and discussed. Emission intensity as a function of Eu3+ions concentration shows that Gd2Ti2O7host can accept Eu3+ions in concentrations up to 10 at.%. On the other hand, lifetime values are similar up to 3 at.% (~2.7 ms) and experience decrease at higher concentrations (2.4 ms for 10 at.% Eu3+). Moreover, photoluminescent spectra and lifetime values clearly revealed presence of structural defects in sol-gel derived materials proposing photoluminescent spectroscopy as a sensitive tool for monitoring structural changes in both steady state and lifetime domains.


2013 ◽  
Vol 205-206 ◽  
pp. 400-405
Author(s):  
Peter Zaumseil ◽  
Yuji Yamamoto ◽  
Markus Andreas Schubert ◽  
Thomas Schroeder ◽  
Bernd Tillack

One way to further increase performance and/or functionality of Si micro-and nanoelectronics is the integration of alternative semiconductors on silicon (Si). We studied the Ge/Si heterosystem with the aim to realize a Ge deposition free of misfit dislocations and with low content of other structural defects. Ge nanostructures were selectively grown by chemical vapor deposition on periodic Si nanoislands (dots and lines) on SOI substrate either directly or with a thin (about 10 nm) SiGe buffer layer. The strain state of the structures was measured by different laboratory-based x-ray diffraction techniques. It was found that a suited SiGe buffer improves the compliance of the Si compared to direct Ge deposition; plastic relaxation during growth can be prevented, and fully elastic relaxation of the structure can be achieved. Transmission electron microscopy confirms that the epitaxial growth of Ge on nanostructured Si is free of misfit dislocations.


2010 ◽  
Vol 148-149 ◽  
pp. 845-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiao Feng Han ◽  
Guo Zhu Diao ◽  
Xiao Heng Liu ◽  
Xin Wang

Zinc sulfide nanoparticles as undoped and doped with nickel have been prepared by the reaction of Zn(CH3COO)2 and Ni(CH3COO)2 with potassium O-ethyldithiocarbonate (ethyl xanthate, C2H5OCS2k) at 80 in N, N - dimethylformamide (DMF) solution for 24 h. The structures of the products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and their optical properties were studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The photocatalytic experiment by degrading methyl orange in aqueous solution under UV light indicated that the degradation efficiency of Ni (6%)-doped ZnS nanoparticles increased to 75% with comparison to 43% of degradation efficiency for undoped ZnS nanoparticles.


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