scholarly journals Growth Process and CQDs-modified Bi4Ti3O12 Square Plates with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Zhao ◽  
Hua Yang ◽  
Ziming Cui ◽  
Xiangxian Wang ◽  
Zao Yi

Bi4Ti3O12 square plates were synthesized via a hydrothermal route, and their growth process was systematically investigated. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were prepared using glucose as the carbon source, which were then assembled on the surface of Bi4Ti3O12 square plates via a hydrothermal route with the aim of enhancing the photocatalytic performance. XRD (X-ray powder diffraction), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), UV-vis DRS (diffuse reflectance spectroscopy), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), PL (photoluminescence) spectroscopy, EIS (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) and photocurrent spectroscopy were used to systematically characterize the as-prepared samples. It is demonstrated that the decoration of CQDs on Bi4Ti3O12 plates leads to an increased visible light absorption, slightly increased bandgap, increased photocurrent density, decreased charge-transfer resistance, and decreased PL intensity. Simulated sunlight and visible light were separately used as a light source to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the samples toward the degradation of RhB in aqueous solution. Under both simulated sunlight and visible light irradiation, CQDs@Bi4Ti3O12 composites with an appropriate amount of CQDs exhibit obviously enhanced photocatalytic performance. However, the decoration of excessive CQDs gives rise to a decrease in the photocatalytic activity. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of CQDs-modified Bi4Ti3O12 can be attributed to the following reasons: (1) The electron transfer between Bi4Ti3O12 and CQDs promotes an efficient separation of photogenerated electron/hole pairs in Bi4Ti3O12; (2) the up-conversion photoluminescence emitted from CQDs could induce the generation of additional electron/hole pairs in Bi4Ti3O12; and (3) the photoexcited electrons in CQDs could participate in the photocatalytic reactions.

NANO ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1650114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Li ◽  
Jianwei Li ◽  
Caiqin Han ◽  
Xinsheng Zhao ◽  
Haipeng Chu ◽  
...  

Few-layered MoS2 nanostructures were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method without the addition of any catalysts or surfactants. Their morphology, structure and photocatalytic activity were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectra and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, respectively. These results show that the MoS2 nanostructures synthesized at 180[Formula: see text]C exhibit an optimal visible light photocatalytic activity (99%) in the degradation of Rhodamine B owing to the relatively easier adsorption of pollutants, higher visible light absorption and lower electron–hole pair recombination.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 475-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Chen ◽  
X. F. Lei ◽  
M. Z. Xue

Pure anatase TiO2 photocatalysts with different Ag contents were prepared via a simple sol-gel method. The as-prepared anatase Ag-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were characterised by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal gravity and differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and N2 adsorption–desorption measurements (BET). Compared with pure TiO2, Ag-doped anatase TiO2 photocatalysts exhibited not only increases in light absorption in the visible region, the separation efficiency of electron–hole pairs and surface area, but also inhibition of the titania phase transition from anatase to rutile. Photoreduction results showed that Ag-doped anatase TiO2 photocatalysts have greatly improved photocatalytic activity, compared with pure TiO2, and the reduction of Cr(VI) under visible light irradiation was much higher than that of pure TiO2. The optimum Ag content was 1.0 mol%, which led to the complete reduction of Cr(VI) under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) for 4 h. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the synergic effect of the pure anatase structure, and the increased light absorption in the visible region, separation efficiency of electron–hole pairs and atomic ratio of Ag0:Ag2O.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.5) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harsha Bantawal ◽  
D Krishna Bhat

Hierarchical porous BaTiO3 nano-hexagons was synthesized via a simple hydrothermal route by using TiO2 and Ba(OH)2.8H2O as starting materials under alkaline environment and its photocatalytic activity was evaluated under visible light by taking methylene blue (MB) as a model pollutant. The prepared BaTiO3 was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-rays analysis (EDX), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis and diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) techniques. It is noteworthy that the BaTiO3 nano-hexagons exhibited significant photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of MB under visible light irradiation. This significant photocatalytic activity of BaTiO3 under visible light is mainly attributed to the special morphology and formation of Ti3+ defects.  


Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 3948
Author(s):  
Lingfang Qiu ◽  
Zhiwei Zhou ◽  
Mengfan Ma ◽  
Ping Li ◽  
Jinyong Lu ◽  
...  

Novel visible-light responded aluminosilicophosphate-5 (SAPO-5)/g-C3N4 composite has been easily constructed by thermal polymerization for the mixture of SAPO-5, NH4Cl, and dicyandiamide. The photocatalytic activity of SAPO-5/g-C3N4 is evaluated by degrading RhB (30 mg/L) under visible light illumination (λ > 420 nm). The effects of SAPO-5 incorporation proportion and initial RhB concentration on the photocatalytic performance have been discussed in detail. The optimized SAPO-5/g-C3N4 composite shows promising degradation efficiency which is 40.6% higher than that of pure g-C3N4. The degradation rate improves from 0.007 min−1 to 0.022 min−1, which is a comparable photocatalytic performance compared with other g-C3N4-based heterojunctions for dye degradation. The migration of photo-induced electrons from g-C3N4 to the Al site of SAPO-5 should promote the photo-induced electron-hole pairs separation rate of g-C3N4 efficiently. Furthermore, the redox reactions for RhB degradation occur on the photo-induced holes in the g-C3N4 and Al sites in SAPO-5, respectively. This achievement not only improves the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 efficiently, but also broadens the application of SAPOs in the photocatalytic field.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (17) ◽  
pp. 1850185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun-Hui Si ◽  
Yu Xia ◽  
Ya-Yun Li ◽  
Shao-Ke Shang ◽  
Xin-Bo Xiong ◽  
...  

A series of BiFeO3 and BiFe[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O3 (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10) were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and their photocatalytic activity was studied by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The band gap of BiFeO3 was significantly decreased from 2.26 eV to 1.90 eV with the doping of Mn. Furthermore, the 6% Mn-doped BiFeO3 photocatalyst exhibited the best activity with a degradation rate of 94% after irradiation for 100 min. The enhanced photocatalytic activity with Mn doping could be attributed to the enhanced optical absorption, increment of surface reactive sites and reduction of electron–hole recombination. Our results may be conducive to design more efficient photocatalysts responsive to visible light among narrow band gap semiconductors.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Huang ◽  
Ming Li ◽  
Long Yang ◽  
Bao-gai Zhai

Eu2+ and Eu3+ doubly doped ZnWO4 nanoplates with highly exposed {100} facets were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route in the presence of surfactant cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide. These ZnWO4 nanoplates were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, diffuse UV-vis reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectrophotometry, and photoluminescence lifetime spectroscopy to determine their morphological, structural, chemical, and optical characteristics. It is found that Eu-doped ZnWO4 nanoplates exhibit superior photo-oxidative capability to completely mineralize the methyl orange into CO2 and H2O, whereas undoped ZnWO4 nanoparticles can only cleave the organic molecules into fragments. The superior photocatalytic performance of Eu-doped ZnWO4 nanoplates can be attributed to the cooperative effects of crystal facet engineering and defect engineering. This is a valuable report on crystal facet engineering in combination with defect engineering for the development of highly efficient photocatalysts.


2020 ◽  
pp. 089270572094421
Author(s):  
Guo Liu ◽  
Ting-Ting Li ◽  
Xiao-Fang Song ◽  
Jin-Yu Yang ◽  
Jiang-Tao Qin ◽  
...  

A new type of N-isopropyl acrylamide/high-substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose/graphite carbon nitride (NIPAAm/HHPC/g-C3N4) smart hydrogel-based photocatalyst with thermally driven characteristic was successfully prepared by electron beam pre-radiation polymerization and radiation cross-linking methods. The agglomeration and loss of g-C3N4 nanosheets can be avoided effectively, and ensured high photocatalytic activity under visible light, once the g-C3N4 nanosheets are uniformly dispersed into the skeleton of a thermosensitive NIPAAm/HHPC hydrogel. NIPAAm/HHPC/g-C3N4 (NHC) hydrogel was characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The microstructure of NHC was further characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller. The adsorption–photocatalytic removal rate of rhodamine B reached 71.4% at the mass ratio of g-C3N4 of 0.8% (NHC-0.8%) hydrogel in an aqueous medium under visible light. The thermal shrinkage ratio can reach 90.6% at 60°C after 5 min and could effectively achieve the function of recycling-free in a portable photocatalytic reaction device under the optimal conditions. Possible mechanism of adsorption–photocatalysis and thermally driven recycling-free on NHC hydrogel was also obtained. These thermally driven recycling-free characteristic and highly photocatalytic properties of the hybrid hydrogel-based photocatalyst show that it can be used as a promising new material with extensive applications in wastewater treatment.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weike Zhang ◽  
Yanrong Zhang ◽  
Kai Yang ◽  
Yanqing Yang ◽  
Jia Jia ◽  
...  

A silicon dioxide/carbon nano onions/titanium dioxide (SiO2/CNOs/TiO2) composite was synthesized by a simple sol-gel method and characterized by the methods of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-Vis DRS). In this work, the photocatalytic activity of the SiO2/CNOs/TiO2 photocatalyst was assessed by testing the degradation rate of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. The results indicated that the samples exhibited the best photocatalytic activity when the composite consisted of 3% CNOs and the optimum dosage of SiO2/CNOs/TiO2(3%) was 1.5 g/L as evidenced by the highest RhB degradation rate (96%). The SiO2/CNOs/TiO2 composite greatly improved the quantum efficiency of TiO2. This work provides a new option for the modification of subsequent nanocomposite oxide nanoparticles.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Wafi ◽  
Erzsébet Szabó-Bárdos ◽  
Ottó Horváth ◽  
Mihály Pósfai ◽  
Éva Makó ◽  
...  

Catalysts for visible-light-driven oxidative cleaning processes and antibacterial applications (also in the dark) were developed. In order to extend the photoactivity of titanium dioxide into the visible region, nitrogen-doped TiO2 catalysts with hollow and non-hollow structures were synthesized by co-precipitation (NT-A) and sol–gel (NT-U) methods, respectively. To increase their photocatalytic and antibacterial efficiencies, various amounts of silver were successfully loaded on the surfaces of these catalysts by using a facile photo-deposition technique. Their physical and chemical properties were evaluated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM–EDS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The photocatalytic performances of the synthesized catalysts were examined in coumarin and 1,4-hydroquinone solutions. The results showed that the hollow structure of NT-A played an important role in obtaining high specific surface area and appreciable photoactivity. In addition, Ag-loading on the surface of non-hollow structured NT-U could double the photocatalytic performance with an optimum Ag concentration of 10−6 mol g−1, while a slight but monotonous decrease was caused in this respect for the hollow surface of NTA upon increasing Ag concentration. Comparing the catalysts with different structures regarding the photocatalytic performance, silverized non-hollow NT-U proved competitive with the hollow NT-A catalyst without Ag-loading for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic oxidative degradations. The former one, due to the silver nanoparticles on the catalyst surface, displayed an appreciable antibacterial activity, which was comparable to that of a reference material practically applied for disinfection in polymer coatings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigang Miao ◽  
Biming Shi ◽  
Nawrat Stanislaw ◽  
Chaomin Mu ◽  
Kezhen Qi

AbstractFlower-like ZnO microstructures were successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route without using any surfactants. The morphology of these microstructures can be easily controlled by adjusting the pH of the reaction solution. The possible growth mechanism of ZnO hierarchical microstructures was proposed based on the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) results. The photocatalytic activity studies of ZnO nanocrystals demonstrated their excellent photocatalytic performance in degrading aqueous methylene blue (MB) under UV-A light irradiation. This higher photocatalytic activity of the ZnO nanoplates was mainly attributed to the exposed facets with the higher surface energy.


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