Characterization and Visible Light-Responsive Photocatalytic Performance of Sulfur-Doped Titanate Nanotubes

: In this article, we explored the possibility of controlling the reactivity of ZnO nanostructures by modifying its surface with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). By varying the concentration of Au with different wt% (x = 0.01, 0.05, 0.08, 1 and 2), we have synthesized a series of (ZnO/Aux) nanocomposites (NCs). A thorough investigation of the photocatalytic performance of different wt% of Au NPs on ZnO nanosurface has been carried out. It was observed that ZnO/Au0.08 nanocomposite showed the highest photocatalytic activity among all concentrations of Au on the ZnO surface, which degrades the dye concentration within 2 minutes of visible light exposure. It was further revealed that with an increase in the size of plasmonic nanoparticles beyond 0.08%, the accessible surface area of the Au nanoparticle decreases. The photon absorption capacity of Au nanoparticle decreases beyond 0.08% resulting in a decrease in electron transfer rate from Au to ZnO and a decrease of photocatalytic activity. Background: Due to the industrialization process, most of the toxic materials go into the water bodies, affecting the water and our ecological system. The conventional techniques to remove dyes are expensive and inefficient. Recently, heterogeneous semiconductor materials like TiO2 and ZnO have been regarded as potential candidates for the removal of dye from the water system. Objective: To investigate the photocatalytic performance of different wt% of Au NPs on ZnO nanosurface and the effect of the size of Au NPs for photocatalytic performance in the degradation process. Methods: A facile microwave method has been adopted for the synthesis of ZnO nanostructure followed by a reduction of gold salt in the presence of ZnO nanostructure to form the composite. Results: ZnO/Au0.08 nanocomposite showed the highest photocatalytic activity which degrades the dye concentration within 2 minutes of visible light exposure. The schematic mechanism of electron transfer rate was discussed. Conclusion: Raspberry shaped ZnO nanoparticles modified with different percentages of Au NPs showed good photocatalytic behavior in the degradation of dye molecules. The synergetic effect of unique morphology of ZnO and well anchored Au nanostructures plays a crucial role.

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Construction of Ag3PO4/SnO2 Heterojunction on Carbon Cloth with Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10093238 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 3238

Author(s):

Min Liu ◽

Guangxin Wang ◽

Panpan Xu ◽

Yanfeng Zhu ◽

Wuhui Li

Keyword(s):

Visible Light ◽

Photocatalytic Performance ◽

Separation Efficiency ◽

Photogenerated Electron ◽

Carbon Cloth ◽

Electron Hole ◽

Step Process ◽

Photogenerated Electrons ◽

Rapid Transfer ◽

Visible Light Photocatalytic

In this study, the Ag3PO4/SnO2 heterojunction on carbon cloth (Ag3PO4/SnO2/CC) was successfully fabricated via a facile two-step process. The results showed that the Ag3PO4/SnO2/CC heterojunction exhibited a remarkable photocatalytic performance for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB), under visible light irradiation. The calculated k values for the degradation of RhB and MB over Ag3PO4/SnO2/CC are 0.04716 min−1 and 0.04916 min−1, which are higher than those calculated for the reactions over Ag3PO4/SnO2, Ag3PO4/CC and SnO2/CC, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could mainly be attributed to the improved separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, after the formation of the Ag3PO4/SnO2/CC heterojunction. Moreover, carbon cloth with a large specific surface area and excellent conductivity was used as the substrate, which helped to increase the contact area of dye solution with photocatalysts and the rapid transfer of photogenerated electrons. Notably, when compared with the powder catalyst, the catalysts supported on carbon cloth are easier to quickly recycle from the pollutant solution, thereby reducing the probability of recontamination.

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Influence of morphology and interfacial interaction of TiO2-Graphene nanocomposites on the visible light photocatalytic performance

Journal of Solid State Chemistry ◽

10.1016/j.jssc.2020.121301 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 286 ◽

pp. 121301 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Danqi Li ◽

Jing Sun ◽

Tingting Shen ◽

Hongchen Song ◽

Jiuxin Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visible Light ◽

Photocatalytic Performance ◽

Interfacial Interaction ◽

Graphene Nanocomposites ◽

Visible Light Photocatalytic

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Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance of SAPO-5-Based g-C3N4 Composite for Rhodamine B (RhB) Degradation

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma12233948 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (23) ◽

pp. 3948

Author(s):

Lingfang Qiu ◽

Zhiwei Zhou ◽

Mengfan Ma ◽

Ping Li ◽

Jinyong Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Photocatalytic Activity ◽

Visible Light ◽

Redox Reactions ◽

Photocatalytic Performance ◽

Dye Degradation ◽

Thermal Polymerization ◽

Light Illumination ◽

Electron Hole ◽

Visible Light Illumination ◽

Visible Light Photocatalytic

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.

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Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance for Degradation of Rhodamine B of AgPt/Bi4Ti3O12 Composites

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano10112206 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2206

Author(s):

Gaoqian Yuan ◽

Gen Zhang ◽

Kezhuo Li ◽

Faliang Li ◽

Yunbo Cao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visible Light ◽

Noble Metal ◽

Rhodamine B ◽

Photocatalytic Performance ◽

Bimetallic Nanoparticles ◽

Resonance Effect ◽

Visible Region ◽

Photogenerated Electron ◽

Pt Nanoparticles ◽

Electron Hole

Loading a noble metal on Bi4Ti3O12 could enable the formation of the Schottky barrier at the interface between the former and the latter, which causes electrons to be trapped and inhibits the recombination of photoelectrons and photoholes. In this paper, AgPt/Bi4Ti3O12 composite photocatalysts were prepared using the photoreduction method, and the effects of the type and content of noble metal on the photocatalytic performance of the catalysts were investigated. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) showed that the loading of AgPt bimetallic nanoparticles significantly improved the catalytic performance of Bi4Ti3O12. When 0.10 wt% noble metal was loaded, the degradation rate for RhB of Ag0.7Pt0.3/Bi4Ti3O12 was 0.027 min−1, which was respectively about 2, 1.7 and 3.7 times as that of Ag/Bi4Ti3O12, Pt/Bi3Ti4O12 and Bi4Ti3O12. The reasons may be attributed as follows: (i) the utilization of visible light was enhanced due to the surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag and Pt in the visible region; (ii) Ag nanoparticles mainly acted as electron acceptors to restrain the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs under visible light irradiation; and (iii) Pt nanoparticles acted as electron cocatalysts to further suppress the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The photocatalytic performance of Ag0.7Pt0.3/Bi4Ti3O12 was superior to that of Ag/Bi4Ti3O12 and Pt/Bi3Ti4O12 owing to the synergistic effect between Ag and Pt nanoparticles.

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