Hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic properties of visible-light induced BiVO4 with different morphologies

BiVO₄ photocatalyst has been successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal strategy. Experimental results revealed that the pH value of the reaction solution had a significant influence on the phases and morphologies of BiVO₄. The crystal structures, morphologies, and photophysical properties of BiVO₄ were well-characterized. The morphology evolution process of BiVO₄ was discussed. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B under visible-light irradiation. The best photocatalytic performance was attained for BiVO₄ synthesized at pH 3.0, which was attributed to synergic effect of monoclinic phase and particle size.     

Deposition of CuWO4 nanoparticles over g-C3N4/Fe3O4 nanocomposite: Novel magnetic photocatalysts with drastically enhanced performance under visible-light

Novel g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/CuWO₄ nanocomposites, as magnetic visible-light-driven photocatalysts, fabricated through a simple refluxing-calcination process. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by a series of techniques including XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, FT-IR, TGA, BET, UV–vis DRS, PL, and VSM. The results showed that heterojunctions are formed between g-C₃N₄, Fe₃O₄, and CuWO₄, which favor suppression of the photogenerated electron/hole pairs from recombination. The resultant g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/CuWO₄ (30%) sample exhibited superior photocatalytic performance. The degradation rate constants on the g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/CuWO₄ (30%) nanocomposite were almost 10.5, 17, 12.5, and 42.5 times higher than those of the pristine g-C₃N₄ for degradations of RhB, MB, MO, and fuchsine, respectively. Moreover, the photocatalyst was magnetically separated and recycled with negligible loss in the activity, which is important for the sustainable photocatalytic processes. Thus, the ternary nanocomposite could have potential applications in different photocatalytic processes.     

High performance magnetically recoverable g-C3N4/Fe3O4/Ag/Ag2SO3 plasmonic photocatalyst for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of water pollutants

The g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/Ag/Ag₂SO₃ nanocomposites have been successfully fabricated by facile refluxing method. The as-obtained products were characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, UV–vis DRS, FT–IR, TGA, PL, and VSM techniques. The results suggest that the Ag/Ag₂SO₃ nanoparticles have anchored on the surface of g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite, showing strong absorption in the visible region. The evaluation of photocatalytic activity indicates that for the g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/Ag/Ag₂SO₃ (40%) nanocomposite, the degradation rate constant was 188 × 10^?4 min^?1 for rhodamine B, exceeding those of the g-C₃N₄ (16.0 × 10^?4 min^?1) and g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄ (20.2 × 10^?4 min^?1) by factors of 11.7 and 9.3, respectively. The results showed that the nanocomposite prepared by refluxing for 120 min has the superior photocatalytic activity and its activity decreased with rising the calcination temperature. The trapping experiments confirmed that superoxide ion radical was the main active species in the photocatalytic degradation process. Also, it was demonstrated that the magnetic photocatalyst has considerable activity in degradation of one more dye pollutant. Finally, the reusability of the photocatalyst was evaluated by five consecutive catalytic runs. This work may open up new insights into the utilization of magnetically separable nanocomposites and provide new opportunities for facile fabrication of g-C₃N₄-based plasmonic photocatalysts.     

Electrospun ZnFe2O4/Al: ZnFe2O4 nanofibers for degradation of RhB via visible light photocatalysis and photo-Fenton processes

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Pure zinc ferrite, ZnFe2O4 and aluminum-doped zinc ferrite, Al: ZnFe2O4 (0.5% Al) nanofibers were prepared by the combination of...     

Exceptional photocatalytic activity for g-C3N4 activated by H2O2 and integrated with Bi2S3 and Fe3O4 nanoparticles for removal of organic and inorganic pollutants

Herein, hydrogen peroxide activated graphitic carbon nitride (agCN) was combined with Fe₃O₄ and Bi₂S₃ to fabricate agCN/Fe₃O₄/Bi₂S₃ nanocomposites via facile refluxing method, as visible-light-induced photocatalysts for photodegradations of anionic and cationic dyes such as MO, RhB, MB, and photoreduction of Cr(VI). The fabricated samples were explored by XRD, EDX, XPS, TGA, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, VSM, PL, FT-IR, BET, and UV-vis DRS. Photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite with 20% of Bi₂S₃ was 16.6, 40.4, 19.5, and 12.5 times more than that of the pristine gCN in removal of RhB, MB, MO, and Cr(VI), respectively. A plausible photocatalytic mechanism on the agCN/Fe₃O₄/Bi₂S₃ nanocomposites was proposed by construction of n-n heterojunction between gCN and Bi₂S₃. Also, stability of the magnetic hybrid was characterized through cyclic photocatalytic tests.     

Increasing visible-light absorption for photocatalysis with black 2D Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets

In this work, a simple method to prepare defect two-dimension (2D) Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ nanosheets material by NaBH₄ reduction with Argon atmosphere was reported. The results of EPR and XPS demonstrated that the presence of oxygen vacancy in Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂, which resulted in color changed and extend photon-absorbance. By comparing to pristine Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂, the black Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ exhibited higher photocatalytic activity to pollutants. The mechanism was also proposed for exploring the defect in the photocatalytic process.     

Decoration of Au nanoparticles onto BiOCl sheets for enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible irradiation for the degradation of RhB dye

Plasmonic photocatalysts are promising candidates for use in the degradation of pollutants. Their ability to degrade a wide range of organic pollutants stems from key properties such as high visible light absorption, the ability to generate hot electrons and the formation of a Schottky barrier that facilitates effective separation of charge carriers. In the present work, we synthesised bismuth oxychloride sensitised with gold nanoparticles (NPs, 20–50 nm) via a two-step chemical process at low temperature. The fabricated Au/BiOCl powder was evaluated in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic performance of the Au/BiOCl hybrid was almost double that of pristine BiOCl. This enhanced performance was attributed to electron transfer from BiOCl to Au via the formation of heterojunctions at the BiOCl/Au interface. Additionally, the surface plasmon resonance effect of the Au NPs provided high optical absorbance in the visible spectrum. TEM (transmission electron microscopy) analysis indicated the presence of polar (010) facets on the BiOCl sheets, which also contributed to dramatically improving their photocatalytic performance. The degradation time of the Au/BiOCl hybrid was 200 min compared with 320 min for pure BiOCl.     

Multiple heterojunction system of Bi2MoO6/WO3/Ag3PO4 with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance towards dye degradation

Multiple heterojunction system of Bi₂MoO₆/WO₃/Ag₃PO₄ was designed via constructing binary heterojunction Bi₂MoO₆/WO₃, followed by the deposition of nano-Ag₃PO₄ on the surface of Bi₂MoO₆/WO₃. Various techniques were employed to characterize the properties of the as-prepared catalytic system. In this study, the decomposition efficiency of C.I. reactive blue 19 (RB-19) was used as a measure of photocatalytic activity and the Bi₂MoO₆/WO₃/Ag₃PO₄ composite exceeded its stand-alone components (pristine Ag₃PO₄, WO₃/Ag₃PO₄ and Bi₂MoO₆/Ag₃PO₄) by 3.16 times, 2.63 times and 1.75 times, respectively. The photocatalytic tests implied that the construction of multiple heterojunction could achieve efficient separation of photo-generated electrons and holes. A possible photocatalytic mechanism for Bi₂MoO₆/WO₃/Ag₃PO₄ system was also proposed according to the results of trapping experiments.     

Laser-assisted preparation of C3N4/Fe2O3/Au nanocomposite: a magnetic reusable catalyst for pollutant degradation

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Assorted common contaminants namely organic dyes and nitro compounds are generated by various industries and have caused alarming problems for the...     

Preparation of visible light responsive g-C3N4/H-TiO2 Z-scheme heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation

The development of high-efficiency heterojunction with improved photocatalytic property is regarded as a promising way to decontaminate wastewater. In this study, Z-Scheme g-C₃N₄/H-TiO₂ heterojunctions with different proportions were synthesized. The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was studied under visible light irradiation. Among them, 10% g-C₃N₄/H-TiO₂ photocatalyst had the best performance, and the degradation rate of RhB was 65% within 120 min. In addition, 10% g-C₃N₄/H-TiO₂ photocatalyst had high stability, and its photocatalytic activity did not decrease significantly after four cycles. Through photocurrent analysis, it is found that the photogenerated carriers have obviously excellent separation and transfer characteristics, which makes the 10% g-C₃N₄/H-TiO₂ photocatalyst have good degradation performance. Electron paramagnetic resonance (ESR) experiments showed that ·OH and ·O₂^? were active radicals during degradation.

     

Corrosion and strength degradation of Si3N4 and sialons in K2CO3 and K2SO4 melts

Si₃N₄-based ceramics, such as hot isostatically pressed Si₃N₄, hot-pressed Si₃N₄, hot-pressed sialons containing 0, 30, 60 and 100% a phase, were corroded by K₂SO₄ and K₂CO₃ melts at 1150 to 1300 and 925 to 1150° C, respectively. The surface chemical reaction-controlled shrinking core model adequately described the relationship between the weight loss of the specimen and time for the corrosion reactions in both K₂SO₄ and K₂CO₃ melts, and the apparent activation energies were 380 to 608 and 157 to 344 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The corrosion rate in K₂CO₃ melt decreased with increasing content of aluminium and yttrium ions in the specimens, but no systematic relation was observed for the reaction in K₂SO₄ melts. The fracture strength of the specimens corroded by K₂SO₄ and K₂CO₃ melts degraded to 2/3 to 2/5 of the original values up to a 2% weight loss, and then was almost constant up to 30% weight loss.     

G-C3N4 nanosheets adhered with Ag3BiO3 and carbon dots with appreciably promoted photoactivity towards elimination of several contaminants

Herein, graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (signified as CN-NS) were anchored with Ag₃BiO₃ and carbon dots (abbreviated as CDs) by hydrothermal procedure with appreciably promoted photoactivity towards elimination of several contaminants. The CN-NS/CDs/Ag₃BiO₃ (30%) system, as optimal photocatalyst, demonstrated extremely high elimination efficiency for several pollutants such as methylene blue (MB), malachite green (MG), Rhodamine B (RhB), and methyl orange (MO) under visible light, which is 55.5, 36.5, 39.2, and 32.1 folds premier than CN material, respectively. Besides, PL, EIS, and transient photocurrent response data corroborated that the CN-NS/CDs/Ag₃BiO₃ (30%) material has the highest charge carriers segregation efficiency compared with the pure and binary systems. Energy band structure analysis demonstrated that the improved performance of CN-NS/CDs/Ag₃BiO₃ photocatalyst is allocated to Z-scheme heterojunction. Scavenging tests demonstrated that h⁺, ^?OH, and ^?O₂^? are the crucial species in the RhB degradation. Enhancement of elimination ability can be allocated to more generation of the charge carries and improvement of the segregation rate of them promoted through the Z-scheme mechanism.     

Facile synthesis of C3N4-supported metal catalysts for efficient CO2 photoreduction

Facile synthesis of photocatalysts with highly dispersed metal centers is a high-priority target yet still a significant challenge.In this work,a series of Co-C₃N₄ photocatalysts with different Co contents atomically dispersed on g-CaN4 have been prepared via one-step thermal treatment of cobalt-based metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)and urea in the air.Thanks to the highly dispersed and rich exposed Co sites,as well as good charge separation efficiency and abundant mesopores,the optimal 25-Co-C₃N₄,in the absence of noble metal catalysts/sensitizers,exhibits excellent performance for photocatalytic C0₂ reduction to CO under visible.light irradiation,with a high CO evolution rate of 394.4μmol·g^-1·h^-1,over 80 times higher than that of pure g-C₃N₄(4.9μmol·g^-1·h^-1).In:addition,by this facile synthesis strategy,the atomically dispersed Fe and Mn anchoring on g-C₃N₄(Fe-C₃N₄ and Mn-C₃N₄)have been also obtained,indicating the reliability and universality of this strategy in synthesizing photocatalysts with highly dispersed metal centers.This work paves a new way to develop cost-effective photocatalysts for photocatalytic C0₂ reduction.     

GO增强g-C3N4气凝胶的可见光响应及其光催化降解偏二甲肼废水

以超声剥离、溶液交联和冷冻干燥的方法制得系列GO/g-C3 N4气凝胶材料,优化配比参数,通过SEM,XRD,UV-vis吸收光谱等表征材料物化性能,以光催化降解偏二甲肼(UDMH)废水评估材料的光催化活性.纯g-C3 N4气凝胶以介孔结构为主,随着氧化石墨烯(GO)配比的提高,材料的层状结构、大孔结构逐渐增加,均表现出了较强的吸附性能;GO的质量分数为25％时光催化降解UDMH废水效果最佳、性能稳定,5次循环后,光催化活性仅降低了7.15％.通过能带结构、光电效应及PL谱表征,研究发现g-C3 N4分子轨道能级和带隙(Eg)因受GO层间π-π键与g-C3 N4芳香环的交联作用影响,而提高了对可见光的响应性能;GO的金属特性有利于光生电子空穴对的快速分离,进而提高光催化活性;根据带隙计算及材料本征分子轨道特性,GOCN光催化降解UDMH废水的主要活性物质为·O-2,h+.     

Novel ternary g-C3N4/Fe3O4/MnWO4 nanocomposites: Synthesis,characterization, and visible-light photocatalytic performance for environmental purposes

The g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/MnWO₄ nanocomposites were prepared by a refluxing-calcination procedure. Visible-light-induced photocatalytic experiments showed that the g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄/MnWO₄ (10%) nanocomposite has excellent ability to degrade a range of contaminants including rhodamine B, methylene blue, methyl orange, and fuchsine, which is about 7, 10, 25, and 31 times of the g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst, respectively. Reactive species trapping experiments revealed that superoxide anion radicals play major role in the photodegradation reaction of rhodamine B (RhB). After the treatment process, the utilized photocatalyst was magnetically recovered and reused with negligible loss in the photocatalytic activity, which is vital in the photocatalytic processes. Finally, a mechanism was proposed for the enhanced interfacial carrier separation and transfer and the improved photocatalytic performance.     

Photocatalytic degradation of RhB over MgFe2O4/TiO2 composite materials

MgFe₂O₄/TiO₂ (MFO/TiO₂) composite photocatalysts were successfully synthesized using a mixing-annealing method. The synthesized composites exhibited significantly higher photocatalytic activity than a naked semiconductor in the photodegradation of Rhodamine B. Under UV and visible light irradiation, the optimal percentages of doped MgFe₂O₄ (MFO) were 2 wt.% and 3 wt.%, respectively. The effects of calcination temperature on photocatalytic activity were also investigated. The origin of the high level of activity was discussed based on the results of X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen physical adsorption. The enhanced activity of the catalysts was mainly attributed to the synergetic effect between the two semiconductors, the band potential of which matched suitably.     

Ag2CO3 nanoparticles decorated g-C3N4 as a high-efficiency catalyst for photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Visible light-driven Ag2CO3/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts with different weight contents of Ag2CO3 were reported by combining two...     

Enhancement of photocatalysis performance of CdIn2S4/g-C3N4 heterojunction by H2O2 synergism

A highly efficient binary CdIn₂S₄/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized by a simple wet impregnation method. Photocatalytic system based on the synergistic action of binary CdIn₂S₄/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction and H₂O₂ was proposed to improve the degradation effect of dyes. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange(MO) under visible light irradiation. The results demonstrated that contrasted to pure g-C₃N₄, the synthesized heterojunction can significantly improve the photocatalytic activity. After 120 min of irradiation by visible light, the photocatalytic efficiency of MO degradation of 7CIS/CN was 3.13 times higher than that of g-C₃N₄. When 60 mM H₂O₂ was added on this basis, the photocatalytic efficiency increased from 93.81 to 99.40%. The improvement of photocatalytic activity is attributed to the formation of binary CdIn₂S₄/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction to promote the transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and an appropriate amount of H₂O₂ as an electron trap further reduced the recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Active species capture experiments showed that ·O₂^? are the main active substances. Subsequently, the mechanism of photocatalytic degradation was proposed. This work provided a new efficient strategy for the degradation of industrial dye wastewater.

     

Oxidation mechanism of Si3N4-bonded SiC ceramics by CO, CO2 and steam

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental investigation into the oxidation reactions of Si3N4-bonded SiC ceramics. Such ceramics which contain a small amount of silicon offer increased oxidation and wear resistance and are widely used as lining refractories in blast furnaces. The thermodynamics of oxidation reactions were studied using the JANAF tables. The weight gain was measured using a thermogravimetric analysis technique to study the kinetics. The temperature range of oxidation measurements is from 1073 to 1573 K and the oxidation atmosphere is water vapour, pure CO and CO–CO2 gas mixtures with various CO-to-CO2 ratios. Thermodynamic simulations showed that the oxidation mechanism of Si3N4-bonded SiC ceramics is passive oxidation and all components contribute to the formation of a silica film. The activated energies of the reactions follow the sequence Si3N4>SiC>Si. The kinetic study revealed that the oxidation of Si3N4-bonded SiC ceramics occurred in a mixed regime controlled by both interface reaction and diffusion through the silica film. Under the atmosphere conditions prevailing in the blast furnace, this ceramic is predicted to be passively oxidized with the chemical reaction rate becoming more dominant as the CO concentration increases. © 1998 Chapman & Hall     

An efficient visible-light photocatalyst for CO2 reduction fabricated by cobalt porphyrin and graphitic carbon nitride via covalent bonding

Nanoparticle photosensitizers possess technical advantages for photocatalytic reactions due to enhanced light harvesting and efficient charge transport. Here we report synthesis of semiconductor nanoparticles through covalent coupling and assembly of metalloporphyrin with condensed carbon nitride. The resultant nanoparticles consist of light harvesting component from the condensed carbon nitride and photocatalytic sites from the metalloporphyrins. This synergetic particle system effectively initiates efficient charge separation and transport and exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction. The CO production rate can reach up to 57 µmol/(gh) with a selectivity of 79% over competing H₂ evolution. Controlled experiments demonstrate that the combination of light harvesting with photocatalytic activity via covalent assembly is crucial for the high photocatalytic activity. Due to effective charge separation and transfer, the resultant nanoparticle photocatalysts show exceptional photo stability against photo-corrosion under light irradiation, enabling for long-term utilization. This research opens a new way for the development of stable, effective nanoparticle photocatalysts using naturally abundant porphyrin pigments.