Modeling of the radiation field in a parabolic trough solar photocatalytic reactor

We calculate the distribution of absorbed radiation inside a solar photocatalytic reactor, by means of radiative transfer theory. The reactor configuration is that of a glass tube illuminated by a parabolic trough collector, where the catalyst consists of titanium dioxide micro-particles suspended in water. The calculations are made within the framework of the P1 approximation, which allows to solve analytically the radiative transfer equations. The obtained solution is used to study the effect of catalyst concentration on the degradation of pollutants, by means of a general kinetic model. The results obtained display the main features which are observed in experiments reported in the literature.     

Solar photoreactors comparison based on oxalic acid photocatalytic degradation

Solar heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation of oxalic acid in water is carried out in four different solar photoreactors: a parabolic trough concentrator (PC), a tubular collector (TC), a compound parabolic collector (CPC), and a V-trough collector (VC). The reactors operate under equal conditions of solar irradiance, collection surface and fluid flow rate to ensure a better comparison between the systems. The effects of TiO₂ catalyst concentration and radiation incidence angle on the degradation are studied. Oxalic acid degrades without appreciable generation of intermediates, and a simple kinetic model is proposed to describe the process. There are differences in the degradation rates depending on the collector geometry. The CPC shows the best overall performance in terms of accumulated energy, followed closely by the VC. Incidence angle affects the total amount of energy collected but does not reduce very much the efficiency of the reactors to use this energy in the photocatalytic process.     

TiO2/CdS composite hollow spheres with controlled synthesis of platinum on the internal wall for the efficient hydrogen evolution

Solar driven semiconductor photocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogen is an extremely charming process by storing photon energy in chemical bonds. In the present study, composite semiconductor TiO₂/CdS was structured into uniform and porous double-shelled hollow sphere with cocatalyst platinum selectively loaded onto the internal wall. The SEM, TEM, STEM, XRD, BET and EDS elemental distribution etc. were employed to evidence the formation of the targeted photocatalyst. It was demonstrated that the material has a high efficiency of visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution (296 μmol·h⁻¹/10 mg) with an apparent quantum efficiency (QE) of 14.5% at wavelength of 420 nm. Comparative experiment analysis and time-resolved infrared absorption study suggested that the high photocatalytic activity of the catalyst is attributed to the vectorial electron transfer (CdS → TiO₂ → Pt) and the spatial separation of reduction and oxidation active surfaces achieved by the special morphology.     

Enhanced hydrogen generation from methanol aqueous solutions over Pt/MoO3/TiO2 under ultraviolet light

The photocatalytic activity in hydrogen production from methanol reforming can be significantly enhanced by Pt/MoO₃/TiO₂ photocatalysts. Compared with Pt/P25, the photocatalytic activity of optimized Pt/MoO₃/TiO₂ shows an evolution rate of 169 μmol/h/g of hydrogen, which is almost two times higher than that of Pt/P25. XRD and Raman spectra show that MoO₃ are formed on the surface of TiO₂. It is found that with the bulk MoO₃ just formed, the catalyst shows the highest activity due to a large amount of heterojunctions and the high crystallinity of MoO₃. The HRTEM image showed a close contact between MoO₃ and TiO₂. It is proposed that the Z-scheme type of heterojunction between MoO₃ and TiO₂ is responsible for the improved photocatalytic activity. The heterojunction structure of MoO₃/TiO₂ does not only promote the charge separation, but also separates the reaction sites, where the oxidation (mainly on MoO₃) and reduction (on TiO₂) reactions occurred.     

Homogeneously distributed CdS nanoparticles in the sulphonated poly(ether ether ketone) membrane: preparation,characterisation and visible-light photocatalytic properties

Abstract

In this work, we have developed an ion exchange reaction to fabricate homogeneously distributed CdS nanoparticles with a size in the range of 20–120 nm in the sulphonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) membrane. The chemical composition of the composite membrane was characterised by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The as prepared SPEEK/CdS composite membrane exhibited a remarkable photocatalytic activity towards the photodegradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation at room temperature. This work presents a simple and versatile approach to prepare sulphide nanostructures on the surface of polymer membrane, providing a new opportunity for their applications in the photocatalytic reaction.     

Physicochemical properties and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of TiO2 films prepared by sol–gel processes

Anatase TiO₂ films were obtained on glass substrates using a sol–gel method using titanium isopropoxide as a precursor. The thickness of the film was about 140 nm for one coating, and the thickness is controlled by the number of coating cycles. The spectra of UV-VIS absorption indicated that the absorption edge of the TiO₂ films is ca. 385 nm, corresponding to the band gap energy of 3.20 eV. We obtained TiO₂ films having a high activity for the hydrogen evolution from photocatalytic water cleavage. By loading with 0.3 wt% Pt rate of hydrogen production increases. No influence of film thickness and calcination temperature on the photocatalytic property is observed.     

Combustion synthesis and characterization of NiO nanoparticles

Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) have been prepared by gel-combustion technique using 1:0.5 (N 105) and 1:1 (N 11) weight ratios of oxidizer, nickel nitrate hexahydrate and fuel, cassava starch, respectively. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the samples revealed cubic phase of nickel oxide and the average crystallite size of 28 and 38 nm for N 105 and N 11, respectively, were noted. In comparison to particle size measured using TEM (35 and 60 nm), the average particle size obtained from DLS (250 and 350 nm) was larger for N 105 and N 11, respectively. NiO NPs were found to have indirect band gap (2.98 and 2.3 eV) as revealed by optical spectroscopy. They were tested for energy storage, antimicrobial activity and photocatalytic applications. Electrochemical studies showed NiO NPs had a reversible capacity of 940 and 785 mA h/g for N 105 and N 11, respectively and they retained a capacity of 59% and 47% upto 50 cycles. The antimicrobial activity was tested against two bacterial strains and a fungal strain. The photocatalytic activity was measured for degradation of methylene blue in ultra-violet as well as sunlight. NiO, obtained by using 1:1 oxidizer to fuel ratio, (N 11) exhibited 94% degradation efficiency in sunlight because of a visible light-active band gap (2.3 eV).     

The investigation of gold/zirconia as a photocatalyst for the direct synthesis of imines from alcohols and aniline

Au/ZrO₂ nanoparticles have been widely used as photocatalysts in various organic syntheses because of their localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effects. In our work, Au/ZrO₂ has been synthesized by a solution method and it was used as a heterogeneous catalyst in the synthesis of imines from alcohols and aniline with irradiation by visible light. The reaction occurred in two steps: step 1 was the aerobic oxidation of the alcohols and step 2 was the nucleophilic addition of aniline. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used as a solvent in the reaction. The selectivity in the synthesis of imines over 3 wt% Au/ZrO₂ (with mean particle size of 5 nm) was high (over 90%) with irradiation by visible light at room temperature, and an obvious difference in the conversion was observed between the reactions with light irradiation and those without light. The intensity and wavelength of the light strongly affected the reaction. The Au/ZrO₂ could be used at least 5 times. A reaction mechanism was proposed based on the experimental results. The results indicate that the reaction of alcohols and aniline using Au/ZrO₂ as the photocatalyst can proceed under mild conditions. Furthermore, this process is environmentally friendly and green.     

Photocatalytic performance of particulate semiconductors under natural sunshine—Oxidation of carboxylic acids

With natural sunlight, particulate TiO₂ (anatase), CuO, ZnO, Pb₂O₃, PbO₂ and Bi₂O₃ photomineralize oxalic acid and the mineralization depends linearly on the acid concentration and the surface area of the catalyst bed. Oxygen is essential for mineralization and the metal oxides show sustainable photocatalysis. While oxalic acid is effectively mineralized, the oxalate ion is not so. Pre-sonication fails to enhance the photocatalytic efficiencies and the system does not respond to application of a potential bias for enhancement of photocatalysis. The photocatalytic performance is of the order ZnO>CuOTiO₂Bi₂O₃Pb₂O₃>PbO₂ and the ease of degradation is formic acid>oxalic acid>acetic acid>citric acid.     

The effect of sputtering power on the structure and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 films prepared by magnetron sputtering

TiO₂ films were fabricated by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering. The effect of the sputtering power on the film structures, morphologies, and properties was investigated in detail. It is found that the concentration of oxygen impurities increased with increasing sputtering power accompanied by the bandgap (E_g) narrowing and broadening of photoluminescence (PL) peaks. The oxygen impurities were found to mainly play the role of recombination centers, leading to the decrease of photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the photoconductivity to dark conductivity ratio could be used to evaluate and even predict photocatalytic activity to some extent.