Introducing oxygen vacancies in TiO_(2) lattice through trivalent iron to enhance the photocatalytic removal of indoor NO

The synthesis of oxygen vacancies(OVs)-modified TiO_(2)under mild conditions is attractive.In this work,OVs were easily introduced in TiO_(2)lattice during the hydrothermal doping process of trivalent iron ions.Theoretical calculations based on a novel charge-compensation structure model were employed with experimental methods to reveal the intrinsic photocatalytic mechanism of Fe-doped TiO_(2)(Fe-TiO_(2)).The OVs formation energy in Fe-TiO_(2)(1.12 eV)was only 23.6%of that in TiO_(2)(4.74 eV),explaining why Fe^(3+)doping could introduce OVs in the TiO_(2)lattice.The calculation results also indicated that impurity states introduced by Fe^(3+)and OVs enhanced the light absorption activity of TiO_(2).Additionally,charge carrier transport was investigated through the carrier lifetime and relative mass.The carrier lifetime of Fe-TiO_(2)(4.00,4.10,and 3.34 ns for 1at%,2at%,and 3at%doping contents,respectively)was longer than that of undoped TiO_(2)(3.22 ns),indicating that Fe^(3+) and OVs could promote charge carrier separation,which can be attributed to the larger relative effective mass of electrons and holes.Herein,Fe-TiO_(2)has higher photocatalytic indoor NO removal activity compared with other photocatalysts because it has strong light absorption activity and high carrier separation efficiency.

Enhanced plasmonic photocatalysis by SiO_2@Bi microspheres with hot-electron transportation channels via Bi–O–Si linkages

The semimetal Bi has received increasing interest as an alternative to noble metals for use in plasmonic photocatalysis. To enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of metallic Bi, Bi microspheres modified by SiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated by a facile method. Bi-O-Si bonds were formed between Bi and SiO2, and acted as a transportation channel for hot electrons. The SiO2@Bi microspheres exhibited an enhanced plasmon-mediated photocatalytic activity for the removal of NO in air under 280 nm light irradiation, as a result of the enlarged specific surface areas and the promotion of electron transfer via the Bi-O-Si bonds. The reaction mechanism of photocatalytic oxidation of NO by SiO2@Bi was revealed with electron spin resonance and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy experiments, and involved the chain reaction NO -> NO2 -> NO3- with center dot OH and center dot O-2(-) radicals as the main reactive species. The present work could provide new insights into the in-depth mechanistic understanding of Bi plasmonic photocatalysis and the design of high-performance Bi-based photocatalysts. (C) 2017, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolution mechanism of active sites for selective catalytic reduction of NO_(x) with NH_(3) over Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts doped by Ce/Cu

Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts modified by Cu and Ce by aqueous solution ion-exchange and incipient wetness impregnation methods were tested in the selective catalytic reduction of NO_(x) with NH_(3).A variety of characterization techniques(NH_(3)-SCO,BET,XRD,XPS,UV-Vis,NH_(3)-TPD,H_(2)-TPR)were used to explore the changes of the active sites,acid sites and pore structure of the catalyst.It was found that the dispersion of active Cu species and Fe species had great influences on the catalytic activity in the whole catalytic process.The Cu doping into the Fe-ZSM-5 catalyst produced new active species,isolated Cu ions and CuO particles,resulting in the improved low-temperature catalytic activity.However,the NH_(3) oxidation was enhanced,and part of the Fe^(3+)active sites and more Brønsted acidic sites in the catalyst were occupied by Cu species,which causes the decrease of the high-temperature activity.The recovery of hightemperature activity could be attributed to the recovery of active Cu species and Fe species promoted by Ce and the promotion of active species dispersion.The results provide theoretical support for adjusting the active window of Febased SCR catalyst by multi-metal doping.