scholarly journals Visible Light Assisted Organosilane Assembly on Mesoporous Silicon Films and Particles

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloé Rodriguez ◽  
Alvaro Muñoz Noval ◽  
Vicente Torres-Costa ◽  
Giacomo Ceccone ◽  
Miguel Manso Silván

Porous silicon (PSi) is a versatile matrix with tailorable surface reactivity, which allows the processing of a range of multifunctional films and particles. The biomedical applications of PSi often require a surface capping with organic functionalities. This work shows that visible light can be used to catalyze the assembly of organosilanes on the PSi, as demonstrated with two organosilanes: aminopropyl-triethoxy-silane and perfluorodecyl-triethoxy-silane. We studied the process related to PSi films (PSiFs), which were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) before and after a plasma patterning process. The analyses confirmed the surface oxidation and the anchorage of the organosilane backbone. We further highlighted the surface analytical potential of 13C, 19F and 29Si solid-state NMR (SS-NMR) as compared to Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in the characterization of functionalized PSi particles (PSiPs). The reduced invasiveness of the organosilanization regarding the PSiPs morphology was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and FESEM. Relevantly, the results obtained on PSiPs complemented those obtained on PSiFs. SS-NMR suggests a number of siloxane bonds between the organosilane and the PSiPs, which does not reach levels of maximum heterogeneous condensation, while ToF-SIMS suggested a certain degree of organosilane polymerization. Additionally, differences among the carbons in the organic (non-hydrolyzable) functionalizing groups are identified, especially in the case of the perfluorodecyl group. The spectroscopic characterization was used to propose a mechanism for the visible light activation of the organosilane assembly, which is based on the initial photoactivated oxidation of the PSi matrix.

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Dilonardo ◽  
M. Penza ◽  
M. Alvisi ◽  
C. Di Franco ◽  
D. Suriano ◽  
...  

Abstract. In the present study, Au-surfactant core-shell colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) with controlled dimension and composition were synthesized by sacrificial anode electrolysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that Au NPs core diameter is between 8 and 12 nm, as a function of the electrosynthesis conditions. Moreover, surface spectroscopic characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the presence of nanosized gold phase. Controlled amounts of Au NPs were then deposited electrophoretically on carbon nanotube (CNT) networked films. The resulting hybrid materials were morphologically and chemically characterized using TEM, SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and XPS analyses, which revealed the presence of nanoscale gold, and its successful deposition on CNTs. Au NP/CNT networked films were tested as active layers in a two-pole resistive NO2 sensor for sub-ppm detection in the temperature range of 100–200 °C. Au NP/CNT exhibited a p-type response with a decrease in the electrical resistance upon exposure to oxidizing NO2 gas and an increase in resistance upon exposure to reducing gases (e.g. NH3). It was also demonstrated that the sensitivity of the Au NP/CNT-based sensors depends on Au loading; therefore, the impact of the Au loading on gas sensing performance was investigated as a function of the working temperature, gas concentration and interfering gases.


Catalysts ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingliang Ma ◽  
Yuying Yang ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Fei Wu ◽  
Wenting Li ◽  
...  

In this manuscript, hollow flower-like ferric oxide/manganese dioxide/trimanganese tetraoxide (Fe3O4/MnO2/Mn3O4) magnetically separable microspheres were prepared by combining a simple hydrothermal method and reduction method. As the MnO2 nanoflower working as precursor was partially reduced, Mn3O4 nanoparticles were in situ grown from the MnO2 nanosheet. The composite microspheres were characterized in detail by employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), vibration sample magnetometer (VSM) and UV–visible spectrophotometer (UV–vis). Under visible light conditions, the test for degrading rhodamine B (RhB) was used to verify the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst. The results showed that the efficiency of the Fe3O4/MnO2/Mn3O4 photocatalyst in visible light for 130 min is 94.5%. The catalytic activity of photocatalyst far exceeded that of the Fe3O4/MnO2 component, and after four cycles, the catalytic performance of the catalyst remained at 78.4%. The superior properties of the photocatalyst came from improved surface area, enhanced light absorption, and efficient charge separation of the MnO2/Mn3O4 heterostructure. This study constructed a green and efficient valence heterostructure composite that created a promising photocatalyst for degrading organic contaminants in aqueous environments.


Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiting Wang ◽  
Jin Mao ◽  
Zhaowei Zhang ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Liangxiao Zhang ◽  
...  

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a secondary metabolite produced by Fusarium, which is a trichothecene mycotoxin. As the main mycotoxin with high toxicity, wheat, barley, corn and their products are susceptible to contamination of DON. Due to the stability of this mycotoxin, traditional methods for DON reduction often require a strong oxidant, high temperature and high pressure with more energy consumption. Therefore, exploring green, efficient and environmentally friendly ways to degrade or reduce DON is a meaningful and challenging issue. Herein, a dendritic-like α-Fe2O3 was successfully prepared using a facile hydrothermal synthesis method at 160 °C, which was systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that dendritic-like α-Fe2O3 showed superior activity for the photocatalytic degradation of DON in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) and 90.3% DON (initial concentration of 4.0 μg/mL) could be reduced in 2 h. Most of all, the main possible intermediate products were proposed through high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) after the photocatalytic treatment. This work not only provides a green and promising way to mitigate mycotoxin contamination but also may present useful information for future studies.


2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 2462-2473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaoming Zhang ◽  
Mark G. Blackford ◽  
Gregory R. Lumpkin ◽  
Katherine L. Smith ◽  
Eric R. Vance

We have characterized thermally annealed perovskite (CaTiO3) surfaces, both before and after aqueous dissolution testing, using scanning electron microscopy, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. It was shown that mechanical damage caused by polishing was essentially removed at the CaTiO3 surface by subsequent annealing; such annealed samples were used to study the intrinsic dissolution behavior of perovskite in deionized water at RT, 90 °C, and 150 °C. Our results indicate that, although mechanical damage caused higher Ca release initially, it did not affect the long-term Ca dissolution rate. However, the removal of surface damage by annealing did lead to the subsequent spatial ordering of the alteration product, which was identified as anatase (TiO2) by both x-ray and electron diffraction, on CaTiO3 surfaces after dissolution testing at150 °C. The effect of Ca2+ in the leachant on the dissolution reaction of perovskite at 150 °C was also investigated, and the results suggest that under repository conditions, the release of Ca from perovskite is likely to be significantly slower if Ca2+ is present in ground water.


Catalysts ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoya Yuan ◽  
Zijuan Feng ◽  
Jianjun Zhao ◽  
Jiawei Niu ◽  
Jiasen Liu ◽  
...  

Bismuth nanoparticles (BiNPs) and Zinc Oxide photocatalysts (BiNPs/ZnO) with different Bi loadings were successfully prepared via a facile chemical method. Their morphology and structure were thoroughly characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis (Ultraviolet-Visible) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectra (PL), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that a modification of hexagonal wurtzite-phase ZnO nanoparticles with Bi is achievable with an intimate interfacial interaction within its composites. The performance of the photocatalytic Cr(VI) removal under visible light irradiation indicated that BiNPs/ZnO exhibited a superior removal performance to bare ZnO, Bi, and the counterpart sample prepared using a physical mixing method. The excellent performance of the BiNPs/ZnO photocatalysts could be ascribed to the synergistic effect between the considerable physical Cr (VI) adsorption and enhanced absorption intensity in the visible light region, due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) as well as the effective transfer and separation of the photogenerated charge carriers at the interface.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shou-Heng Liu ◽  
Jun-Sheng Lu ◽  
Yi-Chiun Chen

A simple solution-chemistry method has been investigated to prepare crystal cuprous oxide (Cu2O) incorporated with reduced graphene oxide (designated as Cu2O-rGO-x, where x represents the contents of rGO = 1%, 5% and 10%) in this work. These Cu2O-rGO-x composites combine the prospective advantages of rhombic dodecahedra Cu2O together with rGO nanosheets which have been studied as visible-light-sensitive catalysts for the photocatalytic production of methanol from CO2. Among the Cu2O-rGO-x photocatalysts, the methanol yield photocatalyzed by Cu2O-rGO-5% can be observed to be 355.26 μmol g−1cat, which is ca. 36 times higher than that of pristine Cu2O nanocrystal in the 20th hour under visible light irradiation. The improved activity may be attributed to the enhanced absorption ability of visible light, the superior separation of electron–hole pairs, well-dispersed Cu2O nanocrystals and the increased photostability of Cu2O, which are evidenced by employing UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, photoluminescence, scanning electron microscopy/transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. This work demonstrates an easy and cost-effective route to prepare non-noble photocatalysts for efficient CO2 recovery in artificial photosynthesis.


2002 ◽  
Vol 740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo F. Bertino ◽  
Jared F. Hund ◽  
Guohui Zhang ◽  
Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis ◽  
Nicholas Leventis ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTNoble metal clusters (Ag, Au) were formed in a silica aerogel matrix by gamma irradiation of hydrogel precursors loaded with aqueous solutions containing Ag+ or [AuCl4]- ions. Hydrogels exposed to gamma rays assumed the color expected for colloidal suspensions of Ag (respectively Au) clusters. The hydrogels were subsequently washed and supercritically dried, without any evident change in color, indicating that the metal clusters were not removed during drying. Typical gamma ray doses were between 3 and 3.5 kGy, and achieved complete reduction of hydrogels containing metal ion concentrations in the 10-4-10-3 M range. Metal clusters in the aerogel monoliths were characterized with optical absorption, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These techniques have shown that the clusters have a crystalline fcc structure. Au clusters consist of pure Au, while surface oxidation of Ag clusters was observed with XPS.


2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxia Yan ◽  
Gang Liu ◽  
Lianzhou Wang ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Xianfang Zhu ◽  
...  

Aimed at designing an efficient visible light active photocatalyst and suppressing the self-corrosion tendency of CdS nanoparticles, a novel composite consisting of CdS nanoparticles and exfoliated two-dimensional (2D) TiO2 nanosheets was successfully fabricated using a simple self-assembly process. The prepared samples were characterized using various techniques including x-ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the exfoliated 2D nanosheets played an important role as an ultrathin coating to suppress the photocorrosion of CdS nanoparticles, evidenced by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer analysis. The resultant CdS/TiO2 composites exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in the oxidation of Rhodamine B in water under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anukorn Phuruangrat ◽  
Jarupat Teppetcharat ◽  
Panudda Patiphatpanya ◽  
Phattranit Dumrongrojthanath ◽  
Somchai Thongtem ◽  
...  

Abstract Heterostructure Pd/Bi2WO6 nanocomposites were successful synthesized in ethylene glycol by microwave-assisted deposition method at 300 W for 10 min. Effect of the loaded Pd on phase, composition, morphology and visible-light-driven photocatalytic properties of Bi2WO6 was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fast-Fourier-Transform (FFT) diffraction, UV-visible absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In this research, good distribution of cubic phase of spherical Pd nanoparticles with particle size of 15–20 nm supported on orthorhombic Bi2WO6 thin nanoplates. The 10% Pd/Bi2WO6 nanocomposites reveal major metallic Pd0 species containing in Bi2WO6 sample. Microwave can be used to synthesize metallic Pd nanoparticles supporting on top of Bi2WO6 nanoplates. Photocatalytic activities of Bi2WO6 loaded with different weight contents of Pd were monitored through photodegradation of cationic rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible light irradiation of a xenon lamp. The 10% Pd/Bi2WO6 nanocomposites have the highest photocatalytic activity because Pd nanoparticles as electron acceptors promote interfacial charge-transfer through Pd/Bi2WO6 heterojunction.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Fan ◽  
Yan-ning Yang ◽  
Chen Ding

Abstract The g-C3N4 nanosheet was prepared by calcination method, the MoS2 nanosheet was prepared by hydrothermal method. The g-C3N4/MoS2 composites were prepared by ultrasonic composite in anhydrous ethanol. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and photoluminescence (PL) techniques were used to characterize the materials. The photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (Rh B) by g-C3N4/MoS2 composites with different mass ratios was investigated under visible light. The results show that a small amount of MoS2 combined with g-C3N4 can significantly improve photocatalytic activity. The g-C3N4/MoS2 composite with a mass ratio of 1:8 has the highest photocatalytic activity, and the degradation rate of Rh B increases from 50% to 99.6%. The main reason is that MoS2 and g-C3N4 have a matching band structure. The separation rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs is enhanced. So the g-C3N4/MoS2 composite can improve the photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic mechanism was proposed through the active matter capture experiment.


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