scholarly journals α-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles/Vermiculite Clay Material: Structural, Optical and Photocatalytic Properties

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Valášková ◽  
Jonáš Tokarský ◽  
Jiří Pavlovský ◽  
Tomáš Prostějovský ◽  
Kamila Kočí

Photocatalysis is increasingly becoming a center of interest due to its wide use in environmental remediation. Hematite (α-Fe2O3) is one promising candidate for photocatalytic applications. Clay materials as vermiculite (Ver) can be used as a carrier to accommodate and stabilize photocatalysts. Two different temperatures (500 °C and 700 °C) were used for preparation of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles/vermiculite clay materials. The experimental methods used for determination of structural, optical and photocatalytic properties were X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), N2 adsorption method (BET), diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and photocatalytic reduction of CO2, respectively. The data from XRD were confronted with molecular modeling of the material arrangement in the interlayer space of vermiculite structure and the possibility of anchoring the α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles to the surface and edge of vermiculite. Correlations between structural, textural, optical and electrical properties and photocatalytic activity have been studied in detail. The α-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3/Ver materials with higher specific surface areas, a smaller crystallite size and structural defects (oxygen vacancies) that a play crucial role in photocatalytic activity, were prepared at a lower calcination temperature of 500 °C.

2018 ◽  
Vol 779 ◽  
pp. 97-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shynggys Sadyk ◽  
Timur Sh. Atabaev

In this study, a facile method was used to prepare ZnO tetrapods for potential dye degradation applications. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and UV-Vis spectroscopy were employed to investigate the morphology, chemical composition, and photocatalytic properties of prepared ZnO tetrapods. A Rhodamine B (RB) dye was used as a model dye to study the photocatalytic activity of the prepared sample. It was shown that RB dye can be efficiently degraded in the presence of ZnO tetrapods under continuous UV-light illumination. Thus, prepared ZnO tetrapods with excellent photocatalytic properties can be potentially used in wastewater treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise S. Cordeiro ◽  
Fernando L. Cassio ◽  
Larissa Ciccotti ◽  
Thiago L. R. Hewer ◽  
Paola Corio ◽  
...  

AbstractPraseodymium doped TiO2 nanoparticles were successfully prepared by the sol–gel method and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherm, and UV–vis spectroscopy. The effects of the dopant on the crystallite size, specific surface area, average pore diameter, pore volume, and bandgap energy were investigated. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts was evaluated by bisphenol A degradation and mineralization, which is a representative endocrine disruptor. Furthermore, under visible light irradiation the Pr-modified TiO2 photocatalysts exhibited higher photocatalytic efficiency than unmodified TiO2. When praseodymium was loaded (1.0–5.0%) onto the surface of TiO2, the rates of degradation and mineralization were increased 3–5 times.


2014 ◽  
Vol 787 ◽  
pp. 35-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Yan Zhou ◽  
Peng Wei Zhou ◽  
Hao Guo ◽  
Bo Yang ◽  
Ru Fei Ren

The p-n junction photocatalysts, p-CuO (at. 0-25%)/n-ZnO nanocomposite were prepared through hydrothermal method without using any organic solvent or surfactant. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the CuO/ZnO nanocomposite presented a two-dimensional morphology composed of sheet-like ZnO nanostructures adorned with CuO nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activity of CuO/ZnO with different Cu/Zn molar rations and pure ZnO synthesized by the identical synthetic route were evaluated by degrading methylene blue (MB) dye under UV-visible light irradiation. The CuO/ZnO with Cu/Zn molar ratio of 4% exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity compared that of the other photocatalysts under the identical conditions. It is mainly attributed to the increased charge separation rate in the nanocomposite and the extended photo-responding range.


Author(s):  
Nguyen Quang Long

For a few decades, Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) has been the most studied photocatalyst due to its significant optical property. In the paper, TiO2 pigment powder (Anatase form) was selected as a precursor to prepare a variety of Black-TiO2 samples, and the typical material was then evaluated for its photocatalytic activity in organic pollutant treatment. Some properties of Black-TiO2 were determined via common methods such as sensory analysis, X-Ray diffraction, and bandgap measurement obtained from UV-Vis spectroscopy. As a result, the material was successfully converted to more than 40% organic pollutant as Methyl Orange (C14H14N3NaO3S) for an hour, as two times higher than that of the amount converted by pristine TiO2. In addition, Black-TiO2 performed much better photocatalytic activity in an acidic medium in comparison with a neutral one, and the material also remained its activity as more than 90% after three time-continuous recycling operations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 39-48
Author(s):  
Volodymyr Moklyak ◽  
Volodymyr Chelyadyn ◽  
Andrii Hrubiak ◽  
Bogdan Ostafiychuk ◽  
Volodymyr Kotsyubynsky ◽  
...  

Anatase/brookite nanocomposites were fabricated by the classical method of hydrolysis, additionally using hydrothermal treatment of preformed titanium dioxide sol with tetrabutyl orthotitanate. The influence of hydrothermal processing the buffer solution of TiO2 synthesis on the average particle sizes, specific surface area, pore sizes distributions, optical and photocatalytic properties investigated by X-ray diffraction, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and UV-Vis spectroscopy. It has been determined that the hydrothermal treatment of pre-prepared titania sol as hydrolysis product leads to rutile formation after annealing at 400°C. Respective model of forming anatase/brookite/rutile nanocomposites was proposed. The changes of bang gap energy of TiO2 were observed and explained by effect of change phase composition and particles size of nanocomposite particles. Methylene blue (MB) photo-oxidation reactions using titanium dioxide nanocomposite were analyzed. Maximal photocatalytic activity of MB oxidation was detected for material with the ratio of the titania phases (anatase : brookite : rutile – 2 : 2 : 1). Synergistic effect between crystallinity, phase ratio, morphology of oxide material, band gap and photocatalytic activity in the anatase/brookite nanocomposites was established.


Catalysts ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonam Goyal ◽  
Maizatul Shaharun ◽  
Chong Kait ◽  
Bawadi Abdullah ◽  
Mariam Ameen

The efficient reduction of CO2 into valuable products such as methanol, over metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based catalyst, has received much attention. The photocatalytic reduction is considered the most economical method due to the utilization of solar energy. In this study, Copper (II)/Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (Cu/ZIF-8) catalysts were synthesized via a hydrothermal method for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The host ZIF-8, treated with 2 mmol copper prepared in 2M ammonium hydroxide solution showed the highest photocatalytic activity. The crystal structures of ZIF-8 and 2Cu/ZIF-8N2 catalysts were observed as cubic and orthorhombic, respectively and the XPS analysis confirmed the deposition of Cu (II) ions over ZIF-8 surface among all the prepared catalysts. The orthorhombic structure, nano-sized crystals, morphology and Cu loading of the 2Cu/ZIF-8N2 catalyst were the core factors to influence the photocatalytic activity. The yield of Methanol was found to be 35.82 µmol/L·g after 6 h of irradiations on 2Cu/ZIF-8N2 catalyst in the wavelength range between 530–580 nm. The copper-based ZIF-8 catalyst has proven as an alternative approach for the economical photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CH3OH.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 7089-7096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wufa Li ◽  
Xiaohong Yang ◽  
Haitao Fu ◽  
Xizhong An ◽  
Haiyang Zhao

Photogenerated electron–hole recombination significantly restricts the catalytic efficiency of titanium dioxide (TiO2). Various approaches have been developed to overcome this problem, yet it remains challenging. Recently, graphene modification of TiO2 has been considered as an effective alternative to prevent electron–hole recombination and consequently enhance the photocatalytic performance of TiO2. This study reports an efficient but simple hydrothermal method utilizing titanium (IV) butoxide (TBT) and graphene oxide (GO) to prepare TiO2-reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites under mild reaction conditions. This method possesses several advantageous features, including no requirement of high temperature for TiO2 crystallization and a one-step hydrothermal reaction for mild reduction of GO without a reducing agent, which consequently makes the production of TiO2-RGO nanocomposites possible in a green and an efficient synthetic route. Moreover, the as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by numerous advanced techniques (SEM, TEM, BET, XRD, XPS, and UV-vis spectroscopy). In particular, the photocatalytic activities of the synthesized TiO2-RGO nanocomposites were evaluated by degrading the organic molecules (methylene blue, MB), and it was found that the photocatalytic activity of TiO2-RGO nanocomposites is ~4.5 times higher compared to that of pure TiO2. These findings would be useful for designing reduced graphene oxide-metal oxide hybrids with desirable functionalities in various applications for energy storage devices and environmental remediation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 455-456 ◽  
pp. 110-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Dong Li ◽  
Xi Jiang Han ◽  
Wen Ying Wang ◽  
Xiao Hong Liu ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
...  

Nb-doped TiO2 powders with different concentrations of Nb have been synthesized by a sol-gel method and characterized by a series of technologies including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of Nb-doped TiO2 is evaluated by degradation efficiency of methyl orange in aqueous solution. The results indicate that the photocatalytic activity of Nb-doped TiO2 synthesized with a Nb/Ti molar ratio of 5% is higher than that of TiO2 under the visible light.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2915
Author(s):  
ZabnAllah M. Alaizeri ◽  
Hisham A. Alhadlaq ◽  
Saad Aldawood ◽  
Mohd Javed Akhtar ◽  
Mabrook S. Amer ◽  
...  

Due to unique physicochemical properties, magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) have shown great potential for various applications, including biomedical and environmental remediation. Moreover, the physiochemical properties of MgO NPs can be tailored by metal ion doping that can be utilized in photocatalytic performance and in the biomedical field. There is limited study on the photocatalytic activity and biocompatibility of silver (Ag)-doped MgO NPs. This study was planned for facile synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic activity of pure and silver (Ag)-doped MgO NPs. In addition, cytotoxicity of pure and Ag-doped MgO NPs was assessed in human normal umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Pure MgO NPs and Ag-doped (1, 2, 5, and 7.5 mol%) MgO NPs were prepared via a simple sol-gel procedure. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the prepared samples. XRD results showed the preparation of highly crystalline NPs with no impurity peaks. TEM and SEM studies indicate smooth surfaces with almost spherical morphology of MgO NPs, and Ag-doping did not change the morphology. Elemental composition study suggested that Ag is uniformly distributed in MgO particles. Intensity of the PL spectra of MgO NPs decreased with increasing the concentration of Ag dopants. In comparison to pure MgO NPs, Ag-MgO NPs showed higher degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV irradiation. The improved photocatalytic activity of Ag-MgO NPs was related to the effect of dopant concentration on reducing the recombination between electrons and holes. Cytotoxicity studies showed good biocompatibility of pure and Ag-doped MgO NPs with human normal umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). These results highlighted the potential of Ag-doped MgO NPs in environmental remediation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Foo ◽  
Yiyang Li ◽  
Konstantin Lebedev ◽  
Tianyi Chen ◽  
Sarah Day ◽  
...  

AbstractTiO2-based powder materials have been widely studied as efficient photocatalysts for water splitting due to their low cost, photo-responsivity, earthly abundance, chemical and thermal stability, etc. In particular, the recent breakthrough of nitrogen-doped TiO2, which enhances the presence of structural defects and dopant impurities at elevated temperatures, exhibits an impressive visible-light absorption for photocatalytic activity. Although their electronic and optical properties have been extensively studied, the structure-activity relationship and photocatalytic mechanism remain ambiguous. Herein, we report an in-depth structural study of rutile, anatase and mixed phases (commercial P25) with and without nitrogen-doping by variable-temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. We report that an unusual anisotropic thermal expansion of the anatase phase can reveal the intimate relationship between sub-surface oxygen vacancies, nitrogen-doping level and photocatalytic activity. For highly doped anatase, a new cubic titanium oxynitride phase is also identified which provides important information on the fundamental shift in absorption wavelength, leading to excellent photocatalysis using visible light.


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