Co-substituted Mg–Zn spinel nanocrystalline ferrites: Synthesis,characterization and evaluation of catalytic degradation efficiency for colored and colorless compounds

In this investigation, cobalt substituted Magnesium–Zinc ferrites were successfully synthesized by using the co-precipitation technique. The prepared spinel ferrites were characterized by using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Ultraviolet–Visible analysis, X-ray powder diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Confirmation of formation of a single-phase spinel structure was assessed by the XRD and FTIR. Crystallite size, evaluated from X-ray analysis, of MZF, MZF1, MZF2, MZF3 is 9.72 nm, 7.21 nm, 8.49 nm and 8.30 nm respectively. Cluster formation and agglomeration of powdered samples of Co substituted Mg–Zn ferrites were represented through the SEM images. The optical bandgap range was calculated from the Ultraviolet–Visible spectrum. The photocatalytic activity was assessed through the photodegradation of coloured and colourless pollutants under sunlight. This paper focuses on the photocatalytic degradation of harmful compounds like benzimidazole and methylene blue. The photocatalytic activity of Mg–Zn ferrites as a photocatalyst was enhanced by the substitution of cobalt in it. Especially, MZF3 with the highest cobalt content gave the maximum photodegradation of methylene blue. Hence, we conclude that Mg_0.5Zn_0.5Co_xFe₂O₄ works as a potential catalyst in wastewater treatment.     

Efficient solar light photocatalytic degradation of commercial pharmaceutical drug and dye using rGO-PANI assisted c-ZnO heterojunction nanocomposites

The major requirement of a solar light-activated photocatalyst is the effective utilization of the light-induced electron-hole pair and exciton lifetime. Herein, the reduced graphene oxide and polyaniline assisted carbon doped porous ZnO (c-ZnO) heterojunction nanocomposites (RPZ nanocomposites) were designed for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of the commercially available pharmaceutical antibiotic drug amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium (ACP) and methylene blue (MB) dye using natural sunlight. The surface morphology, phase purity, and bonding environment of the prepared RPZ heterojunction nanocomposite were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy, respectively. In comparison with pure ZnO, a doping and composite formation reduced the bandgap energy from 3.34 to 2.80 eV, calculated using the Tauc plot. From photocatalytic degradation studies, the as-prepared RPZ heterojunction nanocomposite efficiently degraded 95% and 47% of MB dye and ACP in 100 min under natural sunlight with the reaction rates of 0.0296 and 0.0055 min^?1, respectively. The removal efficiency of the photocatalyst was obtained to be 95% and 46.14% for MB dye and ACP, respectively.     

纳米ZnO/膨润土光催化降解亚甲基蓝研究

以Zn(NO3)2和膨润土为原料,采用沉淀法制备纳米ZnO-膨润土复合光催化材料,用FT-IR、XRD和SEM对其结构和形貌进行了表征。以高压汞灯为光源,光催化降解活性亚甲基蓝模拟染料废水,研究了ZnO/有机膨润土光催化降解性能,讨论了影响亚甲基蓝降解率主要因素。结果表明,在光照射下1.5 h,ZnO/膨润土光催化降解亚甲基蓝达96%,其重复使用降解效果保持稳定,利用该复合光催化材料降解有机染料废水是一种可行的方法。     

TiO2 nanoparticles loaded on graphene/carbon composite nanofibers by electrospinning for increased photocatalysis

Graphene/carbon composite nanofibers (CCNFs) with attached TiO₂ nanoparticles (TiO₂–CCNF) were prepared, and their photocatalytic degradation ability under visible light irradiation was assessed. They were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet–visible diffuse spectroscopy. The results suggest that the presence of graphene embedded in the composite fibers prevents TiO₂ particle agglomeration and aids the uniform dispersion of TiO₂ on the fibers. In the photodegradation of methylene blue, a significant increase in the reaction rate was observed with TiO₂–CCNF materials under visible light. This increase is due to the high migration efficiency of photoinduced electrons and the inhibition of charge–carrier recombination due to the electronic interaction between TiO₂ and graphene. The TiO₂–CCNF materials could be used for multiple degradation cycles without a decrease in photocatalytic activity.     

Co负载TiO2/氧化石墨烯纳米复合材料的水热法合成及光催化性能

首先采用改进的Hummers法制得氧化石墨烯(GO)，再利用氧化石墨烯为基体，硫酸钛和氯化钴为前驱体，并通过修饰石墨烯的聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)为交联剂，采用一步水热法成功合成了三维柱状自组装的钴负载TiO2/氧化石墨烯纳米复合材料(Co@/TiO2/PEI/RGO)。通过紫外-可见吸收光谱法、X射线衍射、透射电子显微镜和X射线光电子能谱对复合材料的结构和光电性能进行了表征。在紫外和可见光照条件下，研究了复合材料的光催化降解亚甲基蓝(MB)的性能。结果表明钴负载TiO2/RGO纳米复合材料具有较高的光催化活性，在60min内降解率为99%，可循环至少10次。     

氧化石墨烯-TiO2复合材料对三种染料的吸附动力学及光催化性能

通过在氧化石墨烯分散溶液中水解钛酸丁酯成功制备氧化石墨烯-TiO₂复合材料（GO-TiO₂）,采用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、全自动比表面及孔径分析仪（BET）和紫外-可见漫反射光谱（UV-vis DRS）等对样品进行了表征。研究了GO10-TiO₂对亚甲基蓝（MB）、甲基橙（MO）和罗丹明B（RhB）3种染料的吸附动力学和光催化性能。结果表明：TiO₂颗粒均匀地附着在GO片层表面;GO10-TiO₂对3种染料的吸附过程为多层吸附,吸附动力学符合拟二级动力学模型;在25℃条件下GO10-TiO₂对废水中MB、MO和Rh B的吸附因共轭结构、极性等的差异而呈现选择性吸附,吸附容量分别为9.2mg/g、5.4mg/g和23.0mg/g。对3种染料废水的光催化降解效果与吸附性能相关联,吸附容量越大降解效率越高,光催化反应60min时,MB、MO和Rh B降解率分别为89%、75%和98%。     

纳米磁载催化剂WO3/TiO2/SiO2/Fe3O4的制备及其光催化性能

以硫酸铁铵为原料,通过水解-还原法制备了磁基体Fe3O4,采用溶胶-凝胶法得到易于磁分离回收的纳米磁载光催化剂WO3/TiO2/SiO2/Fe3O4,利用TEM进行了表征.研究了焙烧温度、WO3掺杂量等因素对光催化剂催化活性的影响.在紫外灯照射下该催化剂对亚甲基蓝1 h的脱色率可达93%以上.     

SBA-15/Ni/TiO2/CNTs复合材料的制备及其光催化性能

通过溶胶凝胶法,经多次涂覆在SBA-15上负载掺杂镍的纳米TiO₂,得到SBA-15/NiO/TiO₂复合物;再以TiO₂中还原态金属镍为催化剂,通过化学气相沉积法（CVD）,在SBA-15/NiO/TiO₂表面原位生长碳纳米管,制得SBA-15/Ni/TiO₂/CNTs复合材料。通过XRD、SEM、TEM、UV-Vis和Raman等方法考察了SBA-15/Ni/TiO₂/CNTs复合材料的结构和性能,并通过降解亚甲基蓝溶液评价其光催化活性。结果表明,SBA-15/Ni/TiO₂/CNTs复合光催化剂的催化活性较SBA-15/NiO/TiO₂显著提高。 二次涂覆掺杂镍的二氧化钛制得的复合光催化剂的催化活性高于一次涂覆。     

Synthesis,characterization and photocatalytic activity study of aluminium doped BiSbO4 microflakes

Metal oxides have an extraordinary ability to generate charge carriers with significant importance in environmental remediation. For the degradation of different dyes, a one-step hydrothermal method was adopted to synthesize Al-doped BiSbO_4. While bismuth antimonate composite with reduced graphene oxide was synthesized by the simple ultra-sonication method. To investigate the structural confirmation, X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used. For studying morphology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was conducted. UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to observe the optical properties and vibrational modes of the as-synthesized BiSbO₄ nanoparticles and doped Al–BiSbO₄. The above-mentioned studies verify the formation of nanoparticles of Al-doped BiSbO₄. The synthesized composite was used to degrade the organic dyes such as methylene blue and crystal violet. The degradation efficiency of doped, undoped and composite is studied and compared. The results indicate the extraordinary efficiency of BiSbO₄/rGO composite to doped and bare samples for the degradation of dyes. It is confirmed by the degradation of different dyes that the BiSbO₄/rGO composite shows the best catalytic efficiency.     

Fabrication of bifunctional nanocomposite for dye degradation

An effective photocatalytic system is designed to treat with methylene blue. Graphene oxide matrix was decorated with cobalt ferrite and zinc oxide nanoparticles, providing it with dual functionality. The nanocomposite was prepared via sonochemistry. Structural characterization was done by X-ray diffraction. Morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy while elemental analysis confirmed the purity of the synthesized nanocomposite. The photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite was tested for denaturing methylene blue under solar conditions. Enhanced photocatalytic activity was observed due to trapped electron-hole pairs at graphene oxide surface and other interfaces of the nanocomposite. The efficiency of photocatalyst was calculated as 98% within 15 min which was further examined till 5 more repeated cycles.     

Sol–gel synthesis of novel cobalt doped zinc tin oxide composite for photocatalytic application

A novel photocatalyst based on cobalt doped zinc tin oxide is proposed. Cobalt doped zinc tin oxide thin films were deposited using a sol–gel deposition method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence emission measurement and UV–vis spectroscopy. It was found that the addition of Co into the zinc tin oxide does influence the structural and optical properties of the thin films and increases the overall photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.     

化学复合镀法制备多孔光催化材料及其光催化性能

以多孔泡沫镍为载体,采用化学复合镀法制备了性能优良的多孔光催化材料,以产品对水中罗丹明B的降解性能为评价指标,对产品的光催化性能进行评价. 产品对水中罗丹明B的光催化降解反应严格符合零级动力学规律. 化学复合镀制备多孔光催化材料的最佳工艺条件为：镀液中硫酸镍浓度20 g/L,次亚磷酸钠浓度20 g/L,施镀过程中纳米TiO2投加量0.28 g/L,镀液温度90℃,镀液pH值4.6. 各因素影响产品性能的顺序为硫酸镍浓度>次亚磷酸钠浓度>镀液温度>镀液pH值>纳米TiO2投加量. 纳米Bi2O3复合使产品的光催化性能下降,随着纳米Bi2O3复合量增加,产品的光催化性能提高. ZnO复合使产品的光催化性能有明显改善,随着纳米ZnO复合量的增加,产品的光催化性能提高. Ag修饰导致Bi2O3复合光催化材料的光催化性能下降、ZnO复合光催化材料的光催化性能提高.     

Preparation, Characterization of Sulfur-Doped Nanosized TiO2 and Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Under Visible Light

Sulfur-doped TiO₂ catalysts were prepared by a mechanochemical method. The prepared catalysts exhibited photocatalytic activity in methylene blue degradation under visible light. The catalyst structure has been characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) as well as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). UV–visible spectroscopy revealed that the absorption edge of the doped TiO₂ was red-shifted compared with bare TiO₂. XRD patterns suggested that the brookite phase became more prevalent with increasing ball milling duration. In addition, surface sulfate species were detected by FT-IR, XPS and TGA. We deduce the rise of catalytic activity is due to the synergetic effect between the brookite phase and the anatase phase that would probably retard the electron–hole recombination. On the other hand, methylene blue was found to be N-demethylated during the irradiation thus giving rise to blue-shifting of peak at 664 nm in UV–visible spectroscopy.     

铁掺杂氧化锌制备及对有机染料的光催化降解

采用沉淀法制备铁掺杂的纳米氧化锌。通过粉末X射线衍射（PXRD）和红外光谱（IR）对样品及其前驱体进行表征;采用分光光度计测定样品光催化降解有机染料的效果;用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）观测样品的表面形貌。实验结果表明,铁掺杂的氧化锌比纯氧化锌具有更高的催化活性和催化效率。这归因于铁均匀分布在氧化锌中,避免了氧化锌纳米粒子间的团聚,改善了氧化锌表面的性质,在降解有机染料过程中与有机染料大面积接触,对甲基橙和亚甲基蓝具有良好的降解效果,是一种有潜力的光催化降解材料。     

Photocatalytic activities of electrospun tin oxide doped titanium dioxide nanofibers

SnO₂ doped TiO₂ electropsun nanofiber photocatalysts were successfully prepared by means of electrospinning process. The surface morphology, structure and optical properties of the resultant products were characterized by field-emission electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) techniques. The utilized physiochemical analyses indicated that the introduced SnO₂ doped TiO₂ nanofibers have a smooth surface and uniform diameters along their lengths. The photocatalytic performance of the composite nanofibers was tested for degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dye solution under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Under the UV irradiation, the photocatalytic reaction rate in case of utilizing SnO₂-doped TiO₂ nanofibers was rapidly increased than that of the pristine TiO₂ nanofibers. Overall, this study demonstrates cheap, stable and effective material for photocatalytic degradation at room temperature.     

Synthesis of zinc oxide and carbon nanotube composites by CVD method: photocatalytic studies

The present work describes the synthesis of multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT), zinc oxide (ZnO) and their photocatalytic evolutions. Nickel doped fumed SiO₂ used as substrate for the synthesis of CNT by in chemical vapour deposition method. In-situ synthesis of ZnO:CNT composites was achieved in alkaline ethanolic medium with zinc chloride and CNT. The prepared composites were investigated by the Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance UV–visible spectrophotometer (DRS), X-ray diffraction, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Brunaur–Emmett–Teller surface area and field emission scanning/transmission electron microscopy. The composites were employed in the degradation methylene blue and Reactive red-198 under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity was determined by the spectrophotometric technique. The percentage of degradation was more for ZnO:CNT composites and shows higher capacitance, when compared to that of ZnO and CNTs. The recovered and reused catalysts catalytic activity was compared with that of fresh catalyst.     

Solar light triggered catalytic performance of graphene-CuO nanocomposite for waste water treatment

In this work, the effect of a new nanocomposite material on the photodegradation of methylene blue is demonstrated. The nanocomposite is synthesized by the combination of cupric oxide (CuO) with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, FTIR, Raman, and UV–vis spectroscopy. Interestingly, the inclusion of GNPs with CuO enhances the photocatalytic properties of nanocomposite without tweaking inherent properties such as the conductive nature of GNPs. Within 80 min of exposure to the solar light, a 99.44% photodegradation of methylene blue is achieved, which is much better than using CuO alone, for which the degradation is only 75%. The much-improved photocatalytic performance of the nanocomposite is a consequence of low bandgap energy of GCuO as well as the conducting nature of GNPs, that causes fast photo excitation of electrons and lengthens the recombination lifetime of charge carriers respectively.     

氟掺杂纳米TiO_2粉体的合成及光催化活性研究

以钛酸四丁酯为前驱体,以三氟乙酸为掺杂剂,采用溶胶凝胶法于450℃煅烧2 h合成了F-掺杂的纳米TiO2粉体,利用XRD,XPS,EDS,BET等手段进行测试和表征,以次甲基蓝的降解评价其光催化活性。XPS测试表明,F-以掺入晶体中的F-和表面化学吸附F-2种形式存在。XRD及BET测试发现,设计摩尔比n(F)/n(Ti)=0.05时纳米粉体粒径由10.6 nm增大到12.9 nm,比表面积由110.3 m2/g降低到102 m2/g,但光催化活性提高,可将次甲基蓝1 h降解率由73.2%提高到83.1%,这是由于掺入F-后部分Ti4+形成Ti3+,Ti3+在TiO2的禁带间形成施主能级,更易吸收光生电子。     

Hydrothermal synthesis of graphene wrapped Fe-doped TiO2 nanospheres with high photocatalysis performance

In this study, graphene wrapped Fe-doped TiO₂ (G-TiO₂-Fe) spheres were prepared through a simple hydrothermal process. The structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of synthesized composite were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman Microprobe (Raman), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer (DRS). The G-TiO₂-Fe composite showed a significant red-shift in light response edge as compared with TiO₂. Meanwhile, the band gap exhibited an obvious decline from 3.24 to 2.99 eV. The photocatalytic capacity of G-TiO₂-Fe was further evaluated by methylene blue (MB) degradation experiments, and the results indicated that the optimized G-TiO₂-Fe exhibited a remarkable increase in photocatalytic activity. The superior photocatalytic performance of the novel material could be ascribed to the synthetic effects of doped Fe and wrapped graphene shells. The unique geometrical configuration and constructive component which modified the TiO₂ electronic structure will largely improve the electron transporting efficiency and restrain the electron-hole recombination.     

CuxNi1-xO nanostructures and their nanocomposites with reduced graphene oxide: Synthesis,characterization, and photocatalytic applications

NiO nanostructure was synthesized using a simple co-precipitation method and was embedded on reduced graphene oxide surface via ultrasonication. Structural investigations were made through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and functional groups were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). XRD analysis revealed the grain size reduction with doping. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of metal-oxygen bond in pristine and doped NiO nanostructure as well as the presence of carbon containing groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the particle size decreased when NiO nanostructure was doped with copper. BET surface area was found to increase almost up to 43 m²/g for Cu doped NiO nanostructure/rGO composite. Current-voltage measurements were performed using two probe method. UV–Visible spectroscopic profiles showed the blue and red shift for Cu doped NiO nanostructure and Cu doped NiO Nanostructure/rGO composite respectively. Rate constant for Cu doped NiO nanostructure/rGO composite found to increase 4.4 times than pristine NiO nanostructure.