Significantly influenced photocatalytic performance for H_(2)O_(2)generation over ultrathin g-C_(3)N_(4)through regulating the migration orientation of photogenerated charge carriers

H_(2)O_(2)has been widely applied in the fields of chemical synthesis,medical sterilization,pollutant removal,etc.,due to its strong oxidizing property and the avoidable secondary pollution.Despite of the enhanced performance for H_(2)O_(2)generation over g-C_(3)N_(4)semiconductors through promoting the separation of photo-generated charge carriers,the effect of migration orientation of charge carriers is still ambiguous.For this emotion,surface modification of g-C_(3)N_(4)was employed to adjust the migration orientation of charge carriers,in order to investigate systematically its effect on the performance of H_(2)O_(2)generation.It was found that ultrathin g-C_(3)N_(4)(UCN)modified by boron nitride(BN),as an effective hole-attract agent,demonstrated a significantly enhanced performance.Particularly,for the optimum UCN/BN-40%catalyst,4.0-fold higher yield of H_(2)O_(2)was obtained in comparison with the pristine UCN.As comparison,UCN modified by carbon dust demonstrated a completely opposite tendency.The remarkably improved performance over UCN/BN was ascribed to the fact that more photo-generated electrons were remained inside of triazine structure of g-C_(3)N_(4),leading to the formation of larger amount of 1,4-endoxide.It is anticipated that our work could provide new insights for the design of photocatalyst with significantly improved performance for H_(2)O_(2)generation.

Impact of photogenerated charge behaviors on luminescence of Eu^(3+) -incorporated microporous titanosilicate ETS-10

A series of Eu3+ -incorporated ETS-10 samples were successfully prepared based on the traditional ion exchange method. The relationship between photogenerated charge behaviors and luminescent properties has been investigated in detail. It has been demonstrated that as a result of the charge transfer from the titanate quantum wires to Eu3+ crystal field states, the host matrix ETS-10 functions as the sensitizer of Eu3+ to enhance the red luminescence, while Eu3+ cations contribute to the recombination of photogenerated charges. The behavior of photogenerated charges has significant impact on the luminescent properties of Eu3+ -incorporated ETS-10 materials.

Construction of charge transfer chain in Bi_(12)TiO_(20)-Bi_(4)Ti_(3)O_(12)/α-Bi_(2)O_(3)composites to accelerate photogenerated charge separation

Photogenerated charge separation and transfer is one of the bottleneck steps in photocatalysis,and efficient charge separation strategies are strongly desired.Here,mimicking the electron transport chain in natural photosynthesis,we report the design and fabrication of a charge transfer chain using bismuth-based semiconductor as a proof-of-concept.In view of the thermodynamic energy band positions and structural similarity based on the density functional theory(DFT)analysis,heterostructured combination ofα-Bi_(2)O_(3),perovskite-like Bi_(4)Ti_(3)O_(12),and sillenite Bi12TiO20 was designed for fabrication of charge transfer chain.By tuning the molar ratio of Bi and Ti precursors,the Bi_(4)Ti_(3)O_(12)and Bi12TiO20 particles were formed on the surface ofα-Bi_(2)O_(3)by an insitu transformation process,giving rise to Bi_(12)TiO_(20)-Bi_(4)Ti_(3)O_(12)/α-Bi_(2)O_(3)composites with charge transfer chain.We propose that the effective charge transfer is accomplished amongα-Bi_(2)O_(3),Bi12TiO20,and Bi_(4)Ti_(3)O_(12),which significantly improves the photogenerated charge separation and transfer,as indicated by photoluminescene,time-resolved photoluminescene,and electrochemical impedance spectra results.As expected,the Bi_(12)TiO_(20)-Bi_(4)Ti_(3)O_(12)/α-Bi_(2)O_(3)shows the superior photocatalytic activity for the degradation of environmental pollutants with high concentration.Even for the refractory pollutants like 4-chlorophenol,the optimal Bi_(12)TiO_(20)-Bi_(4)Ti_(3)O_(12)/α-Bi_(2)O_(3)composite shows 28 times higher than that ofα-Bi_(2)O_(3)for photocatalytic degradation,verifying the superiority of photogenerated charge transfer chain in photocatalysis.This work demonstrates the feasibility of the charge transfer chain strategy to boost the photogenerated charge separation,which is of great significance for designing energy and environmental-related materials in heterogonous photocatalysis.

A p-n WO_(3)/SnSe_(2) Heterojunction for Efficient Photo-assisted Electrocatalysis of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Water splitting is important to the conversion and storage of renewable energy,but slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)greatly limits its utility.Here,under visible light illumination,the p-n WO_(3)/SnSe_(2)(WS)heterojunction significantly activates OER catalysis of CoFe-layered double hydroxide(CF)/carbon nanotubes(CNTs).Specifically,the catalyst achieves an overpotential of 224 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)and a small Tafel slope of 47 mV dec^(-1),superior to RuO_(2)and most previously reported transition metal-based OER catalysts.The p-n WS heterojunction shows strong light absorption to produce photogenerated carriers.The photogenerated holes are trapped by CF to suppresses the charge recombination and facilitate charge transfer,which accelerates OER kinetics and boost the activity for the OER.This work highlights the possibility of using heterojunctions to activate OER catalysis and advances the design of energy-efficient catalysts for water oxidation systems using solar energy.

Photo-induced self-formation of dual-cocatalysts on semiconductor surface

Cocatalyst plays key roles in photogenerated charge separation and surface catalytic reactions in photocatalysis.However,it is not clear if the chemical states of cocatalysts changed or remains unchanged under photocatalytic reaction conditions.Herein,taking NaTaO3 as an example,we systemically investigated the chemical states of nickel‐based cocatalysts during photocatalytic water splitting reaction.It was found that photo‐induced self‐formation of Ni and NiO cocatalyst species take place on the surface of NaTaO3 nanocrystals.The self‐formation of dual‐cocatalysts not only occurs on 26‐facet NaTaO3,but also takes place on a more general 6‐facet NaTaO3.Our work clarified that the chemical states of cocatalysts are changing and the redox dual‐cocatalysts are redistributed on the semiconductor surface owing to the reaction induced by photogenerated charges under the condition of photocatalytic reactions.