scholarly journals Design and fabrication of Ag3VO4/g-C3N4 heterostructure photocatalyst for enhanced visible light degradation of various organic pollutants

Author(s):  
N Sujatha ◽  
M Meenachi ◽  
S Mohammed Harshulkhanb ◽  
H.H Hegazy

Abstract In later years, numerous viable photocatalysts have been created in order to illuminate the issues of natural toxins. In this work, heterostructured photocatalysts Ag3VO4/g-C3N4 were prepared by effortless hydrothermal route in order to anchor Ag3VO4 on the surface of the g-C3N4 nanosheets. The prepared samples were fairly characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS), photoluminescence, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by degrading malachite green (MG) and 2,4 dimethyl phenol (DMP) in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. Compared with Ag3VO4 and g-C3N4, the heterojuncted photocatalyst 50 wt% Ag3VO4/g-C3N4 exhibits the best activity such as high degradation efficiency (99%), high apparent constant (0.0923 min− 1) and long term stability towards DMP under visible light irradiation. The development of a phase scheme heterojunction between Ag3VO4 and g-C3N4 improved the photocatalytic efficiency of Ag3VO4/g-C3N4 composites. Furthermore, the porous structure of g-C3N4 and the effect of Ag surface plasmon resonance (SPR) speed up the isolation and transfer of electron-hole pairs, reducing the likelihood of recombination.

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 829-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya Endo ◽  
Zhishun Wei ◽  
Kunlei Wang ◽  
Baris Karabiyik ◽  
Kenta Yoshiiri ◽  
...  

Commercial titania photocatalysts were modified with silver and gold by photodeposition, and characterized by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). It was found that silver co-existed in zero valent (core) and oxidized (shell) forms, whereas gold was mainly zero valent. The obtained noble metal-modified samples were examined with regard to antibacterial (Escherichia coli(E. coli)) and antifungal (Aspergillus niger(A. niger),Aspergillus melleus(A. melleus),Penicillium chrysogenum(P. chrysogenum),Candida albicans(C. albicans)) activity under visible-light irradiation and in the dark using disk diffusion, suspension, colony growth (“poisoned food”) and sporulation methods. It was found that silver-modified titania, besides remarkably high antibacterial activity (inhibition of bacterial proliferation), could also decompose bacterial cells under visible-light irradiation, possibly due to an enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species and the intrinsic properties of silver. Gold-modified samples were almost inactive against bacteria in the dark, whereas significant bactericidal effect under visible-light irradiation suggested that the mechanism of bacteria inactivation was initiated by plasmonic excitation of titania by localized surface plasmon resonance of gold. The antifungal activity tests showed efficient suppression of mycelium growth by bare titania, and suppression of mycotoxin generation and sporulation by gold-modified titania. Although, the growth of fungi was hardly inhibited through disc diffusion (inhibition zones around discs), it indicates that gold does not penetrate into the media, and thus, a good stability of plasmonic photocatalysts has been confirmed. In summary, it was found that silver-modified titania showed superior antibacterial activity, whereas gold-modified samples were very active against fungi, suggesting that bimetallic photocatalysts containing both gold and silver should exhibit excellent antimicrobial properties.


2011 ◽  
Vol 287-290 ◽  
pp. 1640-1645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Guang Fan ◽  
Zu Zeng Qin ◽  
Zi Li Liu ◽  
Tong Ming Su

A series of BixY(2-x)O3photocatalysts were successfully prepared by a solid-state reaction and were subsequently characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra revealed that the BixY(2-x)O3samples absorbed light in the visible-light range (400-800 nm). The XPS results indicated that active oxygen species were generated on the Bi1.8Y0.2O3surface, which displayed a higher photocatalytic activity. When using photocatalytic degradation molasses fermentation wastewater as a model reaction, the Bi1.8Y0.2O3showed higher photocatalytic activity in comparison to Bi0.2Y1.8O3under visible-light irradiation.


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.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Thi To Nga Phan ◽  
Hong Lien Nguyen ◽  
Van Tuyen Le ◽  
Chi Nhan Phan ◽  
Thanh Huyen Pham

Mesoporous LaFeO3 as a visible light-driven photocatalyst was prepared by a nanocasting method using mesoporous silica (SBA-15) as a hard template. The as-prepared LaFeO3 photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and optical absorption spectra. The characterization studies and experimental results showed that LaFeO3 with porous structure caused by the removal of SBA-15 hard template could enhance the specific surface area of the resulting photocatalyst, which improves the phenol adsorption ability of the photocatalyst and in turn enhances its photo-Fenton catalytic activity. The photo-Fenton catalytic activity of the photocatalyst was investigated by photo-Fenton degradation of aqueous phenol under visible light irradiation. The effects of catalyst dosage, H2O2 concentration, and solution pH on the photo-Fenton catalytic degradation of phenol using mesoporous LaFeO3 were studied and optimized. Under the optimal conditions of 20 mg L−1 phenol, 1.0 g L−1 catalyst, and 10 mM H2O2 at pH = 5, the photo-Fenton degradation of phenol (93.47%) was achieved in 180 min under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, our results proved the stability and reusability of mesoporous LaFeO3 and revealed its catalytic mechanism for the photo-Fenton degradation of phenol.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan Gu ◽  
Huaqiang Zhuang ◽  
Jinlin Long ◽  
Xiaohan An ◽  
Huan Lin ◽  
...  

The C-doped CdO photocatalysts were simply prepared by high-temperature solid-state process. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results demonstrated that the carbon was doped into CdO, resulting in the red-shift of the optical absorption of CdO. The photocatalytic behavior of CdO and C-doped CdO was evaluated under the visible light irradiation by using the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution as a model reaction. The C-doped CdO photocatalysts had higher photocatalytic activity over parent CdO under visible light irradiation. The results indicated that the H2production was due to the existence of CdS and the enhancement of visible light photocatalytic activity of H2production was originated from the doping of carbon into the CdO lattice. The probably reaction mechanism was also discussed and proposed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravi Kumar Mulpuri ◽  
Siva Rao Tirukkovalluri ◽  
Manga Raju Imandi ◽  
Shaik Abdul Alim ◽  
Venkata Divya Lakshmi Kapuganti

AbstractThe present investigation summarizes the synthesis and characterization of zinc and boron co-doped TiO2 nano catalyst by sol gel method at relatively low temperature and explored the optimum reaction parameters for the degradation of Acid Red 6A (AR 6A) under visible light irradiation. The structural, morphological, surface properties of the synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, UV-Vis-Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy, X-ray Photo Electron Spectroscopy and Fourier Transform-Infra Red Spectroscopy. The findings of the characterization results revealed that Zn2+ ion was substitutionally doped into TiO2 lattice by replacing Ti4+ ion and a part of the boron substituted the oxygen in TiO2 lattice and the remaining amount was converted to B2O3 due to calcinations at 450 °C. The degradation of AR 6A was achieved at optimum reaction parameters, such as pH = 6 with a catalyst dosage 100 mg L−1 for the degradation of 5 mg L−1 of dye solution.


Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiujuan Yu ◽  
Haiying Li ◽  
Xueli Hao ◽  
Zhiying Zhang ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
...  

A series of Ag/Pd/m-BiVO4 (monoclinic) bimetallic photocatalytic materials with different loading amounts and different mass ratios of Ag and Pd were synthesized by a hydrothermal method and an NaBH4 reduction method. The Ag/Pd/m-BiVO4 photocatalyst with a total Ag and Pd loading of 2 wt% and an Ag-to-Pd mass ratio of 2:1 can selectively oxidize benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde under visible light irradiation, the conversion rate was up to 89.9%, and the selectivity was greater than 99%. The conversion rate on Ag/Pd/m-BiVO4 was higher than those on Ag/m-BiVO4 and Pd/m-BiVO4. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isothermal curves (BET) and other means. The effects of different light wavelengths and light intensities were compared. Then, the effects of different alcohol derivatives on the reactions were explored. The cycle experiments proved that the Ag/Pd/m-BiVO4 photocatalyst had good light stability and thermal stability. In addition, the capturing experiment of active species shows that the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol is mainly accomplished through the synergistic action of h+, e−, •OH and •O2−.


NANO ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 1750003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Lv ◽  
Jie He ◽  
Andong Xu ◽  
Lifang Hu ◽  
Liangguo Da

Nitrogen-doped HTiNbO5 nanosheet (N-HTiNbO5-NS) aggregation was successfully obtained through a series of process, including preparation of nitrogen-doped precursor (N-KTiNbO5), proton-exchange of N-KTiNbO5 and exfoliation of N-HTiNbO5. The structures of the as-prepared samples are characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scan electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis-DRS), Laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC). The catalytic activities of the as-prepared samples are evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The results reveal that N-HTiNbO5-NS due to the large specific surface area and brilliant visible light response exhibits a relatively excellent photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of MB under visible light irradiation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kewei Li ◽  
Haiying Wang ◽  
Chunxu Pan ◽  
Jianhong Wei ◽  
Rui Xiong ◽  
...  

Rutile-anatase phase mixedFe+Ncodoped TiO2nanowires were designed and prepared by a two-step anodic oxidation method. The results of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirm that the preparedFe+Ncodoped TiO2nanowires exhibit intimately contacted anatase-rutile heterostructure with the rutile content of 21.89%. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that nitrogen and iron atoms are incorporated into the titania oxide lattice, and the UV-visible absorption spectra show that the codoping of iron and nitrogen atoms could extend the absorption to visible light region. The photocatalytic activities of all the samples were evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. TheFe+Ncodoped sample achieves the best response to visible light and the highest photocatalytic activities. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity forFe+Ncodoped sample should be ascribed to the synergistic effects of codoped nitrogen and iron ions and the anatase-rutile heterostructure.


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