Efficient green photocatalyst of Ag/ZnO nanoparticles for methylene blue photodegradation

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Ag/ZnO nanoparticles photocatalysts with various Ag concentrations were synthesized through the hydrothermal treatment. The as-prepared...     

In situ green synthesis of Cu nanoparticles supported on natural Natrolite zeolite for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol,congo red and methylene blue

This study demonstrates a clean, non‐toxic and environment friendly synthetic strategy for the preparation of the Natrolite zeolite/Cu nanoparticles (NPs) using Natrolite zeolite as a natural support and Anthemis xylopoda flowers aqueous extract as a reducing and stabilising agent for the synthesis of Cu NPs. Cu NPs with 20 nm diameter were immobilised homogeneously on the surface of Natrolite zeolite. The synthesised Natrolite zeolite/Cu NPs was used as an environmentally benign catalyst for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol, congo red and methylene blue in aqueous media at an ambient temperature. It has been found that the catalyst can be reused several times without any decrease in activity.Inspec keywords: copper, zeolites, nanoparticles, nanofabrication, dyesOther keywords: copper nanoparticles, natural Natrolite zeolite, 4‐nitrophenol, congo red, methylene blue, Anthemis xylopoda flowers aqueous extract     

Silver and gold nanocluster catalyzed reduction of methylene blue by arsine in micellar medium

Arsenic can be determined in parts-per-million (ppm) level by absorbance measurement. This method is based on the quantitative colour bleaching of the dye, methylene blue by arsine catalyzed by nanoparticles in micellar medium. The arsine has been generated in situ from sodium arsenate by NaBH₄ reduction. The absorbance measurement was carried out at the λ_max of the dye at 660 nm. The calibration graph set-up for three linear dynamic ranges (LDR) are 0-8.63 ppm, 0-1.11 ppm and 0-0.11 ppm and limit of detections (LODs) are 1.3, 0.53 and 0.03 ppm, respectively. This method is simple, sensitive and easy to carry out. It is free from phosphate and silicate interference and applicable to real sample analysis.     

Synthesis and characterization of plasmon resonant gold nanoparticles and graphene for photovoltaics

Here we discuss the use in solar cells of graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and of plasmonic gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) deposited by sputtering. The Au NPs have been coupled with a-Si heterojunction solar cells, with an organic active layer used in organic photovoltaics, and with graphene. Extensive characterization of those three systems by the optical technique of spectroscopic ellipsometry, which is suitable to monitor and analyze the plasmon resonance of the Au NPs, by the microstructural technique of Raman spectroscopy, which is suitable to analyze graphene properties and doping, and by atomic force microscopy has been carried out. Those techniques highlighted interactions between Au NPs and silicon, polymer and graphene, which lead to variation in the plasmon resonance of Au NPs and consequently in the characteristics of the Au NPs/Si, Au NPs/polymer and Au NPs/graphene hybrids. Specifically, we found that an optimal size and density of Au NPs are able to enhance the efficiency of c-Si/a-Si heterojunction solar cells and that exceeding with Au NPs size and density causes device shortcut because of interface interdiffusion between silicon and gold. To discuss organic photovoltaics, Au NPs have been combined with an electro-donating conjugated polymer, the poly[1,4bis(2-thienyl)-2,5-bis-(2-ethyl-hexyloxyphenylenes)]. We found that there is a strong correlation between the thickness and morphology of the organic active layer, which affects the energy and amplitude of the Au NPs plasmon resonance. Finally, Au NPs have been deposited on graphene. We found that Au NPs show the plasmon resonance in the region where graphene is transparent and also yield p-type doping of graphene decreasing its sheet resistance.     

Synthesis of ZnO/Ti2C composites by electrostatic self-assembly for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

Journal of Materials Science - Two-dimensional (2D) zinc oxide (ZnO) has great potential in the field of dye photocatalytic degradation. However, the photocatalytic activity is always...     

Synthesis of gold nanowire networks and nanoparticles by tyrosine reduction of chloroaurate

A simple and facile synthesis of gold nanowire networks and sol particles at room temperature is presented using L-tyrosine (Tyr) as both the reducing and capping agent. The synthesis conditions with varying the gold precursor concentration ([HAuCl4], 0.1-2.5 mM) and concentration ratio of tyrosine to gold precursor R ([Tyr]/[HAuCl4], 0.05-10) were identified for the preparation of network-like nanowires and sol nanoparticles. Gold sol particles with sizes between 10 and 18 nm were mostly obtained at R > or = 0.2. Network-like gold nanowires with average diameters as thin as 8 nm can be reproducibly synthesized at R < or = 0.1. The experimental data revealed that the phenolic and carboxyl group of Tyr were oxidized to form quinone and alcohol, respectively. The growth process was examined to elucidate the influence of the synthesis conditions on different morphologies, showing marked difference in isotropic and anisotropic growth of gold nanostructures at different synthesis conditions. The study showed that tyrosine possesses excellent reducing capability with short nucleation period and long growth period as compared with other amino acids.     

石墨烯/纳米TiO_2复合材料的制备及光催化还原性能

为探索超声辅助下利用紫外光及耦合热还原工艺制备RGO/纳米TiO_2复合材料的方法,并对其在缺氧水体中的光催化还原特性进行研究,首先,以鳞片石墨为原料,采用改进的Hummers法制备了氧化石墨烯(GO),进而通过超声/紫外光还原工艺制备了还原氧化石墨烯(RGO);然后,以钛酸丁脂和RGO为前驱物,采用溶胶-凝胶法并在氮气保护下高温加热制备了RGO/纳米TiO_2复合光催化材料;接着,利用FTIR、XRD、BET及紫外-可见光谱等对RGO/纳米TiO_2复合材料进行了结构性能表征;最后,以2,4-二氯苯氧乙酸(2,4-D)为探针物,研究了RGO/纳米TiO_2在缺氧水体中的光催化特性与2,4-D降解机制。结果表明:采用低温氧化Hummers法制备的GO六碳环上生成的活性基团较少,采用超声/紫外光还原工艺及耦合高温热还原工艺可使环状结构得到良好的修复;所制备的RGO/纳米TiO_2复合材料具有良好的2,4-D降解能力,在缺氧状态下,2,4-D主要发生光催化还原反应,脱除苯环上的氯,产生氯酚、邻苯三酚及间苯三酚等中间产物,部分2,4-D被氧化降解生成CO_2和H_2O。制备的RGO/纳米TiO_2复合材料具有良好的光催化还原性能。     

Probing in situ the nucleation and growth of gold nanoparticles by small-angle X-ray scattering

We probe in situ by synchrotron SAXS/WAXS and UV-visible spectroscopy the nucleation and growth of gold nanoparticles. The use of a fast-mixing stopped-flow device enables the assessment of the whole particle formation process with a 200 ms time resolution. The number of particles, their size distribution, and the yield of the reaction is determined in real time through the quantitative analysis of the SAXS data on an absolute scale. Two ligands exhibit drastically different behaviors: when an alkanoic acid is used, a nucleation phase of 1 s is followed by a growth step whose rate is limited by the reaction of the monomers at the interface; on the other hand, when an alkylamine is used, the nucleation rate is increased by an order of magnitude, thus annealing growth by a lack of monomer and yielding R=1 nm particles in 2 s, as compared with R=3.7 nm in 12 s for the acid case.     

Synthesis of graphene soluble in organic solvents by simultaneous ether-functionalization with octadecane groups and reduction

Octadecane-functionalized graphene (OD-G) soluble in organic solvents was produced by combining the Hummers process for graphite oxidation and a simultaneous ether-functionalization and reduction approach with 1-bromooctadecane in pyridine and dimethylformamide (DMF). The exfoliated OD-Gs were testified to be monolayer sheets by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The functionalization with octadecane (OD) groups and the effective deoxygenation of graphene oxide (GO) were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It is proved that the effective reduction and functionalization of GO could be simultaneously completed during the refluxing process. The functionalization with OD groups can effectively prevent the aggregation of GO during the reduction.     

In situ fabrication and characterization of cobalt ferrite nanorods/graphene composites

Cobalt ferrite nanorods/graphene composites were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal process using NaHSO₃ as the reducing agent and 1-propyl-3-hexadecylimidazolium bromide as the structure growth-directing template. The reduction of graphene oxide and the in situ formation of cobalt ferrite nanorods were accomplished in a one-step reaction. The structure and morphology of as-obtained composites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Uniform rod-like cobalt ferrites with diameters of about 100 nm and length of about 800 nm were homogeneously distributed on the graphene sheets. The hybrid materials showed a saturation magnetization of 42.5 emu/g and coercivity of 495.1 Oe at room temperature. The electromagnetic parameters were measured using a vector network analyzer. A minimum reflection loss (RL) of − 25.8 dB was observed at 16.1 GHz for the cobalt ferrite nanorods/graphene composites with a thickness of 2 mm, and the effective absorption frequency (RL < − 10 dB) ranged from 13.5 to 18.0 GHz. The composites exhibited better absorbing properties than the cobalt ferrite nanorods and the mixture of cobalt ferrite nanorods and graphene.     

Facile synthesis of graphene quantum dots/ZSM-5 type metalosilicate composites and evaluating their performance in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and electrochemical water splitting

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs)/ZSM-5 type cobaltosilicate and GQDs/ZSM-5 type chromosilicate composites were prepared by two methods; direct and solid state dispersion (SSD) method. The composites were characterized using XRD, FT-IR, UV–vis absorption, and SEM techniques. The photocatalytic activities of composites were evaluated by degradation of methylene blue (MB) under both UV and vis light irradiation. The composites prepared by direct method showed better photocatalytic activity and the GQDs/chromosilicate composite had a superior performance. This composite could remove about 96 % and 87 % of MB at first 30 min under UV and vis light, respectively. The results of photocatalytic degradation kinetic studies revealed that the composites follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R² = 0.99) with rate constants ranging from 0.295 to 0.581 g mg^?1 min^?1 for different composites prepared by direct method. The GQDs/metalosilicate composites were also examined for the electrochemical water splitting. The GQDs/cobaltosilicate composites required lower overpotentials for HER and OER in comparison to the pure GDQs and cobaltosilicate. Moreover, the charge transfer resistance and Warburg impedance was lower than the corresponding values obtained for the pure cobaltosilicate and GQDs. These new GQDs-based composites are expected to open new windows in materials science and electrocatalytic-related processes.     

In situ fabrication of platinum/graphene composite shell on polymer microspheres through reactive self-assembly and in situ reduction

We present a simple method to fabricate a uniform-sized graphene–metal–polymer composite microsphere of core–shell structure. On the surface of amine-functionalized polymer microsphere, graphene oxide (GO) sheets were affixed to give a core–shell structure by self-assembly process followed by the immobilization of platinum (Pt) ions to the assembled GO shell. Subsequently, they were chemically reduced in situ converting both GO and Pt ions to reduced GO (RGO) and Pt nanoparticles (NPs), respectively. As a result, a robust RGO-Pt composite shell, composed of RGO sheets and well-distributed Pt NPs, was fabricated on the microsphere surface. Meanwhile, the insulative GO shell was converted to the conductive RGO-Pt shell giving 24.0 S m^?1 of electrical conductivity. We demonstrated that the electrical property of the shell was significantly improved by the incorporation of Pt NPs.     

Synthesis of manganese dioxide/reduced graphene oxide composites with excellent electrocatalytic activity toward reduction of oxygen

MnO₂/reduced graphene oxide(RGO) composites were synthesized by a facile and effective polymer-assisted chemical reduction method. The synthetic MnO₂/RGO composites have a uniform surface distribution and large coverage of MnO₂ nanoparticles onto graphene, which were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and cyclic voltammetry. The synthetic MnO₂/RGO composites were studied with respect to its electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of oxygen in alkaline media and were found to possess a good electrocatalytic activity toward the four-electron reduction of oxygen.     

基于石墨烯/金纳米棒的甲硝唑电化学行为及其检测

碱性条件下制备水中分散性良好的石墨烯,并通过一步还原法得到石墨烯/AuNRs复合材料。利用滴涂法制备石墨烯/AuNRs修饰电极,并研究了甲硝唑在该修饰电极上的电化学行为。结果表明,在pH=7.4时,甲硝唑在修饰电极上出现明显的氧化还原峰。甲硝唑在该修饰电极的还原峰峰电流与浓度在3.0×10-7～5.0×10-5 mol/L(S/N=3)范围内呈良好的线性关系,检出限为9.2×10-8 mol/L。该检测方法具有良好的灵敏度、选择性和稳定性,可用于甲硝唑药物的分析。同时也展现了这种新型的复合纳米材料在药物的检测中的应用潜力。     

Synthesis of TiO2-Au composites by titania-nanorod-assisted generation of gold nanoparticles at aqueous/nonpolar interfaces

Hydrophobically coated anatase TiO(2) nanorods can assist the reduction of AuCl(4) (-)ions at aqueous/nonpolar solvent interfaces, which results in the generation of organic-soluble Au nanoparticles with tunable size in the absence of any metal ligands and/or phase-transfer agents. The titania-nanorod-driven modulation of interfacial energy and catalysis of gold nucleation provide straightforward access to nanocomposite solutions of TiO(2)-stabilized Au nanoparticles. Among colloidal approaches, this method represents a unique tool for the surfactantless, large-scale preparation of nanostructured semiconductor-metal hybrid systems with relevant technological potential in catalysis, photocatalysis, and charge-storage processes.     

The simple preparation of graphene/Pt nanoparticles composites and their electrochemical performance

The graphene-Pt nanoparticles (NPs) composites were prepared with ascorbic acid as the reductant through in-situ reduction method. The graphene-Pt NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, the Fourier-transform infrared spectra, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The obtained production was loaded with Pt nanoparticles, which could increase the active surface area of the electrode catalyst and accelerated the electron transfer.     

Fe3O4/石墨烯复合材料的制备及表征

采用液相还原的方法,在碱性环境下使用FeCl2.4H2O和氧化石墨作为前驱体,制备Fe3O4微球附载的石墨烯复合材料。通过调节氧化石墨和铁盐的质量比制备得到不同组分的Fe3O4/石墨烯复合粉体。使用场发射电子扫描显微镜(FESEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、振动样品磁强计(VSM)和四探针电阻仪等仪器分析了产物的形貌、物相、磁性能和导电性能。结果表明Fe3O4/石墨烯复合粉体中Fe3O4微球在石墨烯表面分散均匀,且Fe3O4结晶良好,为立方晶系的尖晶石型。该复合粉体具有高的磁性能和良好的导电性能,饱和磁化强度和电导率分别达到72emu/g和0.53S/cm。     

球状纳米二氧化钛/石墨烯复合材料的合成及导电性能

采用改进的水热法制备二氧化钛/石墨烯(TiO2/G)复合导电材料,并研究水热温度以及石墨烯用量对TiO2/G复合材料导电性的影响。利用傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱、X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)和电化学阻抗谱等测试手段对复合材料的结构,微观形貌以及导电性能进行表征,并确定最佳的水热温度以及石墨烯的最佳添加量。结果表明:石墨烯添加量为5%(质量分数),水热温度为160℃,TiO2/G复合材料的导电性最佳,其电阻率为13.46Ω·cm。复合材料中TiO2纳米颗粒为球状的锐钛矿相,直径为100~200nm左右,且均匀生长在石墨烯片层表面。其中,TiO2纳米颗粒生长于石墨烯片层上,有效地阻止石墨烯片层的聚集,有利于石墨烯片层间形成导电网络,提高电子迁移效率,赋予二氧化钛复合材料优异的导电性能。     

Unusual toughening effect of graphene oxide on the graphene oxide/nylon 11 composites prepared by in situ melt polycondensation

Graphene oxide/nylon 11 composites were prepared by in situ melt polycondensation. These composites displayed better mechanical properties including stiffness and toughness than the pure nylon 11 matrix. The enhanced toughness was ascribed to the change of crystal form of nylon 11, namely the triclinic α crystal form to the pseudo-hexagonal δ′ crystal form transition trend with the incorporation of GO. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images showed that GO bundles and stacks with an average thickness of 20 nm are homogeneously dispersed over the nylon 11 matrix with almost no large agglomerates.