scholarly journals Photocatalytic Performance of Ta2O5/BiVO4 Heterojunction for Hydrogen Production and Methylene Blue Photodegradation

Author(s):  
Henrique Gonçalves ◽  
Denilson Freitas ◽  
Emanuely Souza ◽  
Mauricio Melo ◽  
Johan Gonzalez-Moya ◽  
...  

Forming semiconductor heterojunction is promising for improved photocatalytic performance due to synergistic combination of the best properties of each material. The present study reports a simple hydrothermal strategy to form n-n heterojunction of Ta2O5 nanotubes and BiVO4 microstructures. The Ta2O5/BiVO4 heterojunctions were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, UV‑Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by hydrogen production and photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous medium under AM 1.5 G (100 mW cm‑2) condition. The heterojunctions have optical absorption in the visible region (200‑500 nm) with crystal structures defined as monoclinic for BiVO4 and orthogonal for Ta2O5. For MB photodegradation, the Ta2O5/BiVO4 obtained via hydrothermal route showed a photodegradation of 72.3%, compared to 28.3% presented by the sample produced through the mechanical mixture, with the maintenance of 86.4% of its photocatalytic performance after 3 cycles of photodegradation. For H2 production, hydrothermally prepared Ta2O5/BiVO4 generated 10.2 μmol g-1 of H2 in 3 h; while Ta2O5 nanotubes and mechanical Ta2O5/BiVO4 mixture shows 6.82 and 2.80 μmol g-1, respectively. The results suggest that Ta2O5/BiVO4 is a promising material for applications in photocatalysis, promoting sustainable energy production through hydrogen and for the treatment of effluents containing cationic dyes.

2015 ◽  
Vol 827 ◽  
pp. 67-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred Albert ◽  
Rosari Saleh

In the present study, an attempt was made to synthesize ZnO/TiO2 and ZnO/TiO2/CuO nanocomposites as photocatalyst for degradation of organic pollutant (methylene blue) in aqueous solution under UV and visible light irradiation. Characterization using X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning microscope electron, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis confirmed that all three components phase are present in the photocatalyst. The photodegradation of organic pollutant showed that with the incorporation of CuO content in ZnO/TiO2 nanocomposites increasing the photocatalytic performance in ultraviolet as well as visible region.


2014 ◽  
Vol 608 ◽  
pp. 224-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Potjanaporn Chaengchawi ◽  
Karn Serivalsatit ◽  
Pornapa Sujaridworakun

A visible-light responsive CdS/ZnO nanocomposite photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by precipitation of CdS nanoparticles, using Cd (NO3)2 and Na2S as starting materials, on ZnO nanoparticles and then calcined at 400°C for 2 hours. The effects of the mole ratio of CdS and ZnO in the composites on their phase, morphology, and surface area were investigated by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer Emmett Teller method (BET), respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue solution in the presence of composite products under visible-light irradiation was investigated. The results showed that the mole ratio of CdS and ZnO played a significant role on photocatalytic performance. The highest photocatalytic activity was obtained from the CdS/ZnO nanocomposite with mole ratio of 1:4, which is higher than that of pure CdS and pure ZnO.


2012 ◽  
Vol 583 ◽  
pp. 86-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai Bin Li ◽  
Xin Yong Li ◽  
Yan De Song ◽  
Shu Guang Chen ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
...  

TiO2nanotubes were prepared via a hydrothermal route. CeO2nanoparticles with diameters around 5nm were loaded onto the surface of TiO2nanotubes via a deposition approach followed by a calcination process. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis) were applied for the characterization of the as-prepared CeO2/TiO2nanotubes composites. The results show that CeO2particles are highly dispersed on the surface of TiO2nanotubes. The TiO2 nanotubes are modified to response to the visible light due to the combination with CeO2. The CeO2/TiO2nanotubes composites with a CeO2/TiO2atomic ratio of 2.5% show a further improvement on the photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B in water. The presence of CeO2improves the light absorption of TiO2nanotubes and inhibits the electron-hole recombination.


2014 ◽  
Vol 896 ◽  
pp. 541-544
Author(s):  
Is Fatimah ◽  
N. Nunani Yuyun

ZnO-SiO2/Laponite was prepared by sol-gel preparation procedure consit of SiO2 pillarization to laponite followed by ZnO dispersion by using zinc acetate as precursor. The obtained material was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), diffuse reflectance UV-Visible (DRUV-Vis) and N2 adsorption-desorption analysis. The photocatalytic performance of the amterial in methylene blue decolorization was also investigated. Compared with ZnO-SiO2 nanoparticles, it is concluded that ZnO-SiO2/Laponite possess higher photocatalytic activity which obey Temkin isotherm model.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chukwuka Bethel Anucha ◽  
Ilknur Altin ◽  
Zekeriya Biyiklioglu ◽  
Emin Bacaksiz ◽  
Ismail Polat ◽  
...  

ZnWO4MnPc was synthesized via a hydrothermal autoclave method with 1 wt.% manganese (iii) phthalocyanine content. The material was characterized for its structural and morphological features via X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission emission microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy-Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), N2 adsorption–desorption at 77K, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible/diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(UV-vis/DRS). ZnWO4MnPc photocatalytic performance was tested on the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA). The ZnWO4MnPc material removed 60% of BPA after 4 h of 365 nm UV irradiation. Degradation process improved significantly to about 80% removal in the presence of added 5 mM H2O2 after 4 h irradiation. Almost 100% removal was achieved after 30 min under 450 nm visible light irradiation in the presence of same concentration of H2O2. The effect of ions and humic acid (HA) towards BPA removal was also investigated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyan Wang ◽  
Lianwei Shan ◽  
Dongyuan Song ◽  
Yanwei Xiao ◽  
Jagadeesh Suriyaprakash

In this letter, we investigated the photocatalytic activity of the newly formed rGO/PbTiO3 composites, which are synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal route. By adjusting the amount of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (0, 0.15, 0.30, 0.60, and 1.20 wt%) with the PbTiO3, we constructed various photocatalysts for this investigation. The crystal structure and morphology of the various composites were studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Photoelectron spectroscopic study revealed that the band structure of the newly formed composites and efficient charge separation can be obtained by the interfaces of various rGO content. In addition, the photocatalytic performance of the synthesized composites was explored by H2 evolution and rhodamine blue (RhB) degradation. The obtained results indicated that the addition of the appropriate amount of rGO could improve the activity of pure PbTiO3, significantly.


Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxiang Yan ◽  
Hua Yang ◽  
Zao Yi ◽  
Ruishan Li ◽  
Xiangxian Wang

Using P25 as the titanium source and based on a hydrothermal route, we have synthesized CaTiO3 nanocuboids (NCs) with the width of 0.3–0.5 μm and length of 0.8–1.1 μm, and systematically investigated their growth process. Au nanoparticles (NPs) of 3–7 nm in size were assembled on the surface of CaTiO3 NCs via a photocatalytic reduction method to achieve excellent Au@CaTiO3 composite photocatalysts. Various techniques were used to characterize the as-prepared samples, including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution was chosen as the model pollutant to assess the photocatalytic performance of the samples separately under simulated-sunlight, ultraviolet (UV) and visible-light irradiation. Under irradiation of all kinds of light sources, the Au@CaTiO3 composites, particularly the 4.3%Au@CaTiO3 composite, exhibit greatly enhanced photocatalytic performance when compared with bare CaTiO3 NCs. The main roles of Au NPs in the enhanced photocatalytic mechanism of the Au@CaTiO3 composites manifest in the following aspects: (1) Au NPs act as excellent electron sinks to capture the photoexcited electrons in CaTiO3, thus leading to an efficient separation of photoexcited electron/hole pairs in CaTiO3; (2) the electromagnetic field caused by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Au NPs could facilitate the generation and separation of electron/hole pairs in CaTiO3; and (3) the LSPR-induced electrons in Au NPs could take part in the photocatalytic reactions.


Clay Minerals ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaouther Abderrazek ◽  
Najoua Frini Srasra ◽  
Ezzeddine Srasra

Abstract[Zn-Al] layered double hydroxides (LDH) with cationic molar ratios of R = Zn/Al 1–5 were synthesized by the coprecipitation method at constant pH = 10. The samples synthesized and their derived forms obtained after calcination at 500°C and at 900°C (denoted Zn-Al-R, Zn-Al-R-500 and Zn-Al-R-900, respectively), were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasmamass spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and nitrogen physisorption at −196°C. The XRD study showed: (1) the presence of accessory ZnO with the LDH in samples synthesized with R ≥ 3; and (2) the lamellar structure was destroyed at 500°C which made room for a poorly ordered ZnO phase, while calcination at 900°C yielded well crystallized ZnO and ZnAl2O4. The photocatalytic activity of the calcined and the unheated samples was evaluated for the decolourization of methylene blue. The photocatalytic activity was dependent on the cationic ratio R and on the calcination temperature. The sample Zn-Al-3 displayed maximum photocatalytic activity. Calcination at 500 and 900°C improved the photocatalytic activity of LDH synthesized at R = 1 and 2.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sijia Gu ◽  
Dan Zhang ◽  
Shirong Luo ◽  
Heng Yang

Exploring a novel and efficient photocatalyst is the key research goal to relieve energy and environmental issues. Herein, Z-scheme heterojunction composites were successfully fabricated by loading g-C3N4 nanosheets (CN) on the surface of Mg1.2Ti1.8O5 nanoflakes (MT) through a simple sol-gel method followed by the calcination method. The crystalline phase, morphologies, specific surface area, and optical and electrochemical performance of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-disperse X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and electrochemical measurements. Considering the suitable band structures of the components, the photocatalytic performance was evaluated by photocatalytic H2O splitting and photocatalytic inactivation of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Among the samples, MT/CN-10 (the molar percentage of melamine to as-obtained Mg-Ti gel was 10%) shows superior photocatalytic performance, which the average H2 production rate was 3.57 and 7.24 times higher than those of MT and CN alone. Additionally, the efficiency of inactivating Escherichia coli (E. coli) over MT/CN-10 was 1.95 and 2.06 times higher as compared to pure MT and CN, respectively. The enhancement of the photocatalytic performance was attributed to the advantages of the extremely negative conduction band (CB) of CN and the extremely positive valence band (VB) of MT, the enhanced light absorption, and more efficient photogenerated charge carrier separation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 496-500 ◽  
pp. 297-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bi Tao Liu ◽  
Liang Liang Tian ◽  
Ling Ling Peng

A series of composites of the high photoactivity of {001} facets exposed BiOCl and grapheme sheets (GS) were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal reaction. The obtained BiOCl/GS photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The as-prepared BiOCl/GS photocatalyst showed enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV and visible light (λ > 400 nm). The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to oxygen vacancies of the {001} facets of BiOCl/GS and the high migration efficiency of photo-induced electrons, which could suppress the charge recombination effectively.


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