Synthesis and enhanced bias-free photoelectrochemical water-splitting activity of ferroelectric BaTiO3/Cu2O heterostructures under solar light irradiation

Here, we first use a facile electrochemical deposition method to load Cu₂O nanoparticles onto the BaTiO₃ (BTO) surface to prepare BTO/Cu₂O heterostructure photoanodes. Compared to the pure BTO photoanode, all BTO/Cu₂O heterostructure photoanodes show outstanding visible light harvesting ability and greatly improved photoelectrochemical water splitting performance. By optimizing the loading amount of Cu₂O nanoparticles, the photocurrent density achieved by BTO/Cu₂O-100 photoanode is 0.26 mA/cm² at 0 V versus Ag/AgCl, which is 2.6 times that of the bare BTO photoanode. In contrast with the photocurrent densities of the other reported BTO-based heterostructure photoanodes, the photocurrent density achieved by the present BTO/Cu₂O-100 photoanode without bias voltage is much higher. Additionally, the maximum solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of the BTO/Cu₂O-100 heterostructure photoanode is 0.11% at 0.72 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, approximately double that of BTO photoanode. The measurements of diffuse reflectance spectra, photoelectrochemical impedance and the room temperature photoluminescence spectra demonstrate that the improved photoelectrochemical performance contributes from the visible light absorption ability of Cu₂O nanoparticles, efficient transport and separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, which are induced by the spontaneous polarization electric field of ferroelectric BTO, p-n junction and type-II band alignment of BTO/Cu₂O heterostructure photoanode. A possible mechanism for the improved photoelectrochemical water splitting performance and charge transfer process is proposed.     

Synthesis of cube-like Ag/AgCl plasmonic photocatalyst with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

Cube-like Ag/AgCl plasmonic photocatalyst was successfully synthesized through a one-pot precipitation method by simply adding an aqueous solution of AgNO₃ into the natural hot spring, wherein the hot spring acted as the chlorine source. The cube-like Ag/AgCl with a size of 0.5–0.9 μm exhibited enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance for the degradation of organic MO dye due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the photoexcited Ag species. The trapping experiments confirmed that O₂⁻ and h⁺ were the main active species during the photocatalytic process.     

Ag3PO4/Bi2WO6 hierarchical heterostructures with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of phenol

The Ag₃PO₄/Bi₂WO₆ hierarchical heterostructures were prepared by a combination of hydrothermal technique and in situ precipitation method for the first time. The Ag₃PO₄/Bi₂WO₆ hierarchical heterostructures displayed enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity against phenol. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the effective separation of photogenerated carriers driven by the photoinduced potential difference generated at the Ag₃PO₄/Bi₂WO₆ heterojunction interface. Repetitive tests showed that the Ag₃PO₄/Bi₂WO₆ hierarchical heterostructures maintained high catalytic activity over several cycles, and it had a better regeneration capability under mild conditions.     

Synthesis of novel Cd2P2O7/Ag3PO4 photocatalyst with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance and the enhancement mechanism

Novel Cd₂P₂O₇/Ag₃PO₄ photocatalysts containing different mass fractions of Cd₂P₂O₇ were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Electron spin resonance (ESR), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity was decided by the effective separation and low recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. During the experiments, the Cd₂P₂O₇/Ag₃PO₄ composites possessed fierce electron- hole separation capacity. In particular, the 1 wt% Cd₂P₂O₇/Ag₃PO₄ catalyst displayed higher photocatalytic performance than pure Ag₃PO₄ under visible-light irradiation (λ>420 nm). The ESR spectrum showed the main active species during the methyl orange degradation were ·OH and ·O₂⁻.     

Synthesis of Fe3O4 nanowire@CeO2/Ag nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity under sunlight exposure

Ternary magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanowire@CeO₂/Ag nanocomposites have been firstly synthesized by means of hydrothermal and co–precipitation techniques, and their ability to adsorb, photocatalytic degradation organic pollutants, methylene blue present in water, and separate, has been demonstrated. The results show that CeO₂ and Ag nanoparticles are uniformly deposited on the surface of Fe₃O₄ nanowires. The photocatalytic experiments demonstrate that the Fe₃O₄@CeO₂/Ag nanocomposites exhibit remarkably enhanced photocatalytic properties and stability compared to CeO₂, CeO₂/Ag, Fe₃O₄@CeO₂, Fe₃O₄ under natural sunlight exposure. Moreover, excellent photocatalytic degradation efficiency for phenol and MO are also observed. The enhanced photocatalytic performance may be attributed to the synergetic effect of Fe₃O₄ nanowire, CeO₂ and Ag nanoparticles, which lead to the enhanced light harvesting, the promoted charge separation and enhanced adsorption capacity. In addition, the Fe₃O₄@CeO₂/Ag photocatalyst can be easily collected and separated by an external magnet. These results suggest that the nanocomposites could be exploited as potential candidates for solar photocatalysis.     

The synthesis of Ag/AgCl/BiFeO3 photocatalyst with enhanced visible photocatalytic activity

A novel AgCl/Ag/BiFeO₃ photocatalyst was synthesized via an ultrasonic-assisted precipitation-photoreduction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence emission spectra (PL) analysis were implemented to characterize the composition, morphology, structure, and optical property of the as-synthesized photocatalyst. For the decomposition of methyl orange (MO) and other organic dyes, AgCl/Ag/BiFeO₃ photocatalyst manifested much superior visible-light catalytic activity than pure BiFeO₃ and AgCl/Ag. Based on the trapping experiments and band structure analysis, a probable Z-scheme light catalytic mechanism was proposed.     

Ag/Bi2WO6 plasmonic composites with enhanced visible photocatalytic activity

Three-dimensional flower-like Bi₂WO₆ microspheres with the diameter of about 4 μm were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method using bismuth nitrate pentahydrate and sodium tungstate dihydrate as raw materials. A novel Ag-modified Bi₂WO₆ was synthesized through a simple and practical photoreduction process. The UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra indicate that the Ag/Bi₂WO₆ samples have a significantly enhanced optical absorption in the visible light region than that of pure Bi₂WO₆ microspheres due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag nanoparticles on the surface of pure Bi₂WO₆. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared samples were evaluated by the decolorization of rhodamine B under simulated sun-light irradiation. The results reveal that the photocatalytic activities of the Ag/Bi₂WO₆ samples increase first and then decrease with increasing amount of loading Ag and the 1.0 wt% Ag-loaded Bi₂WO₆ sample exhibits the best photocatalytic activity compared with the other samples. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the synergistic effect of the strong SPR and the effective separation of photogenerated electrons and holes caused by Ag nanoparticles.     

A unique Cu2O/TiO2 nanocomposite with enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation

A unique Cu₂O/TiO₂ nanocomposite with high photocatalytic activity was synthesized via a two-step chemical solution method and used for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dye. The structure, morphology, composition, optical and photocatalytic properties of the as-prepared samples were investigated in detail. The results suggested that the Cu₂O/TiO₂ nanocomposite is composed of hierarchical TiO₂ hollow microstructure coated by a great many Cu₂O nanoparticles. The photocatalytic performance of Cu₂O/TiO₂ nanocomposite was evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light, and compared with those of the pure TiO₂ and Cu₂O photocatalysts synthesized by the identical synthetic route. Within 120 min of reaction time, nearly 100% decolorization efficiency of MB was achieved by Cu₂O/TiO₂ photocatalyst, which is much higher than that of pure TiO₂ (26%) or Cu₂O (32%). The outstanding photocatalytic efficiency was mainly ascribed to the unique architecture, the extended photoresponse range and efficient separation of the electron-hole pairs in the Cu₂O/TiO₂ heterojunction. In addition, the Cu₂O/TiO₂ nanocomposite also retains good cycling stability in the photodegradation of MB.     

Mesoporous BiVO4/2D-g-C3N4 heterostructures for superior visible light-driven photocatalytic reduction of Hg(II) ions

In this contribution, a Z-scheme mesoporous BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite heterojunction with a considerable surface area and high crystallinity was synthesized by a simple soft and hard template-assisted approach. This material demonstrates superior visible light-driven photocatalysis for the photoreduction of Hg(II) ions. TEM and XRD results show that the mesoporous BiVO₄ NPs, with a monoclinic phase and an ellipsoid-like shape, are highly dispersed onto the porous 2D surfaces of g-C₃N₄ nanosheets with a particle size of 5–10 nm. The obtained BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites with a p-n heterojunction show significantly enhanced Hg(II) photoreduction efficiency compared to the mesoporous BiVO₄ NPs and pristine g-C₃N₄. Among all synthesized photocatalysts, the 1.2% BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite indicated the highest photoreduction of Hg(II) performance, reaching ~ 100% within 60 min; this result is 3.9 and 4.5 –fold larger than that of the BiVO₄ NPs and pristine g-C₃N₄. The Hg(II) photoreduction rates highly increase to 208.90, 314.95, 411.23 and 418.68 μmol g⁻¹min⁻¹ for the mesoporous 0.4, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6% BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites, respectively. The reduction rate of the mesoporous 1.2% BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite demonstrated a 5.2 and 3.8 times larger increase than that of the pristine g-C₃N₄ nanosheets and pure BiVO₄ NPs. The superior Hg(II) photoreduction efficiency was ascribed to decreased carrier recombination and the improved utilization of visible light by constructing BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites with a p-n junction. Transient photocurrent measurement and photoluminescence spectra were employed to confirm the possible Hg(II) photoreduction mechanism over these BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts. This research provides an accessible route for the nanoengineered design of mesoporous BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ heterostructures that demonstrated unique photocatalytic performance.     

Bi5O7I/Bi2O3 composite photocatalyst with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

A series of Bi₅O₇I/Bi₂O₃ composite photocatalysts were first synthesized via chemical etching method. Their crystalline phase, composition, light absorption ability and photoluminescence emission performance were characterized by XRD, EDX, UV–vis and PL methods, respectively. And malachite green was used as the model pollutant to investigate the visible light photocatalytic activities of the composite photocatalysts. It is found that 80.48% Bi₅O₇I/Bi₂O₃ showed the highest activity for its relatively stronger absorption ability for visible light and best separation efficiency of electron–hole pairs. Last, the photocatalytic mechanism of the Bi₅O₇I/Bi₂O₃ composite was put forward qualitatively.     

SnS2/TiO2 nanocomposites with enhanced visible light-driven photoreduction of aqueous Cr(VI)

SnS₂/TiO₂ nanocomposites have been synthesized via microwave assisted hydrothermal treatment of tetrabutyl titanate in the presence of SnS₂ nanoplates in the solvent of ethanol at 160 °C for 1 h. The physical and chemical properties of SnS₂/TiO₂ were studied by XRD, FESEM, EDS, TEM, XPS and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The photocatalytic activity of SnS₂/TiO₂ nanocomposites were evaluated by photoreduction of aqueous Cr(VI) under visible light (λ>420 nm) irradiation. The experimental results showed that the SnS₂/TiO₂ nanocomposites exhibited excellent reduction efficiency of Cr(VI) (~87%) than that of pure TiO₂ and SnS₂. The SnS₂/TiO₂ nanocomposites were expected to be a promising candidate as effective photocatalysts in the treatment of Cr(VI) wastewater.     

Ag/Ag_2O的合成及可见光催化性能研究

以硝酸银为银源,通过绿色化学法合成纳米Ag溶胶,进一步采用湿化学的方法,成功制备出了具备高性能可见光响应的Ag/Ag_2O复合光催化剂。同时采用XRD、SEM、UV-Vis DRS、XPS等对其进行表征。结果表明,成功构建出了金属-半导体异质结结构的Ag/Ag_2O颗粒,其粒径约200 nm,禁带宽度为1.42 eV。通过负载纳米Ag的方法,基于表面等离子体共振效应,增强了材料在可见光区的吸收,同时抑制了光生载流子的复合,提高了量子效率,使Ag_2O在可见光下的光催化性能得到了明显的改善。     

Multiple-metal-doped Fe3O4@Fe2O3 nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic performance for methyl orange degradation under UV/solar light irradiation

Waelz slag, which is a Fe-bearing hazardous waste, was applied as the raw material in the synthesis of M-Fe₃O₄@Fe₂O₃ (M = Al, Zn, Cu, and Mn) nanoparticles, which are potential photocatalysts. Through acidolysis, 97.23% of Fe and most of the valuable metals were extracted from this slag. Using sol-gel processes, designed Fe₃O₄@Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles doped with multiple elements were systematically synthesised and characterised using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, electron diffraction spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. The photocatalytic activities of the synthesised particles and undoped Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were compared through photocatalytic methyl orange degradation experiments under UV and simulated solar light. The results indicated that all of the slag-derived nanoparticles gave improved photocatalytic performances compared to the undoped sample, and the M-Fe₃O₄@Fe₂O₃ (M = Al, Zn, and Cu) sample exhibited the best photocatalytic activity. The enhancement can be attributed to grain refinement, doping, and the formation of a typical Fe₃O₄@Fe₂O₃ core-shell structure.     

Novel NiTiO3/Ag3VO4 composite with enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light

A novel NiTiO₃/Ag₃VO₄ composite with type-II band alignment was prepared using a modified Pechini/precipitation method. The FESEM image of the NiTiO₃/Ag₃VO₄ heterostructure reveals the dispersion of small NiTiO₃ particles on the Ag₃VO₄ surfaces, indicating the close interfacial connection between NiTiO₃ and Ag₃VO₄. The heterojunction shows remarkably higher photocatalytic activity than pure NiTiO₃ and Ag₃VO₄ due to an increase in light harvesting efficiency and an efficient electron–hole separation being induced by the suitably matching conduction and valence band levels. Based on the VB-XPS and UV–vis DRS results, a possible electron–hole transfer mechanism at the NiTiO₃/Ag₃VO₄ interface is proposed.     

Aerosol processing of Ag/TiO2 composite nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic water treatment under UV and visible light irradiation

In this study, we investigated the effect of Ag addition on the photocatalytic reactivity of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs). Controlled amounts of Ag were incorporated in TiO₂ NPs using aerosol spray pyrolysis and subsequent calcination. Ag/TiO₂ composite NPs containing different amounts of Ag (e.g., 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 wt%) were successfully fabricated. The photodegradation performances of the as-prepared Ag/TiO₂ composite NPs were tested using methylene blue (MB) solution under UV and visible light irradiation. Upon increasing the Ag content to 1 wt%, the resulting Ag/TiO₂ composite NPs exhibited increased photocatalytic reactivity due to lowered bandgap energy, which promoted both charge generation and separation. However, when the Ag content exceeded 1 wt%, the photocatalytic reactivity of the resulting Ag/TiO₂ composite NPs was considerably deteriorated due to the masking effect of the excess Ag on the reactive sites of TiO₂. Hence, the incorporation of an optimized amount of Ag in the TiO₂ matrix promotes the photocatalytic reactivity of Ag/TiO₂ composite NPs by controlling their bandgap energy and charge generation and separation processes. These results could lead to the development of photodegradation active substances for water treatment in organic solutions.     

Solvent-induced controllable synthesis of recyclable Ag2CO3 catalysts with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

The quest for cost-effective environmental remediation has motivated the research for highly efficient and stable photocatalysts capable of degrading pollutants under visible-light illumination. Ag-based visible-light-responsive photocatalysts demonstrate alluring properties and applications in the elimination of organic pollutants in wastewater, however they often suffer from inherent photo-corrosion under illumination. Herein, we report the facile solution-phase synthesis of silver carbonate (Ag₂CO₃) microcrystals with varied morphological features in different solvents. The size and morphology of Ag₂CO₃ materials can be tuned on the basis of varying types and ratios of solvents. The specific synthetic method allows the orientation controllable growth of Ag₂CO₃ microcrystals with variable length-to-diameter ratios, with the surface harvesting more solar energy, and the photocatalyst suppressing the electron-hole recombination. The enhancement in both the photocatalytic activity and photostability of Ag₂CO₃ catalysts is evident when AgNO₃ and NaHCO₃ are employed as stabilizers. Operating in the presence of 0.02 M stabilizer, the photocatalyst demonstrates highly efficient and robust degradation performance of higher than 95% in 5 successive times towards typical organic dye rhodamine B (RhB). Active holes and reactive oxygen-containing superhydroxyl radicals (·O²⁻) are determined by trapping experiments to be the main species responsible for improved photocatalytic performance. This work provides new insights into the development of high-performance, recyclable Ag-based photocatalytic materials for energy and environmental applications.     

BiOCl nanosheet/Bi4Ti3O12 nanofiber heterostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Aurivillius oxide semiconductors are important photocatalyst because of their unique electronic structure and layered crystal. In this paper, two kinds of Aurivillius oxide semiconductors heterostructures based on Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ nanofibers frameworks and BiOCl nanosheets are successfully synthesized by combining the electrospinning technique and solvothermal method. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy results reveal that an intimate interface between Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ nanofibers and BiOCl nanosheets forms in the heterojunctions. Photocatalytic tests show that the BiOCl/Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ heterostructures exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity than bare Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ and BiOCl, mainly owing to the photoinduced interfacial charge transfer based on the photosynergistic effect of the BiOCl/Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ heterojunction. At the end, the photocatalytic mechanism with O₂⁻ production was studied.     

Preparation and characterization of Ag3PO4/BiOI composites with enhanced visible light driven photocatalytic performance

Ag₃PO₄/BiOI composites were successfully prepared by a facial room temperature liquid phase method. Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles were uniformly distributed on the surface of BiOI nanosheets. The photodegradation tests show that the photocatalytic efficiency was increased at first and then decreased when further increasing Ag₃PO₄ content in the composites. The best photocatalytic performance was obtained for the sample with Ag/Bi ratio of 0.3 and the photodegradation efficiency of Ag₃PO₄/BiOI was nearly 10 times that of BiOI. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the composites was due to the improved photogenerated carrier separation capacity, being induced by the coupling effects of the two semiconductors.