Novel synthesis of cerium oxide nano photocatalyst by a hydrothermal method

Crystalline cubic cerium oxide nano particles have been synthesized from cerium(Ⅲ)nitrate(Ce(NO_(3))_(3).6H2_(O))and sodium hydroxide by a hydrothermal method.The effect of three different molar ratios of the NaOH precipitating agent on structural,optical,and photo catalytic activity was investigated.The synthesized cerium oxide nano particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),a UV-vis spectrometer,scanning electron microscope(SEM),energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDAX),Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photo electron spectroscopy(XPS).According to the findings,hydrothermally synthesized cerium oxide NPs have a high efficiency for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue when exposed to UV light.Environmental water pollution is the major issue of the atmosphere.To get fresh water,humans could search the resources to purify the water in simple way and degradation is the one of the methods to purify salt water.

Optical, Structural and Morphological Properties of Photocatalytic ZnO Thin Films Deposited by Pray Pyrolysis Technique

Photocatalytic ZnO thin films have been deposited onto glass substrate by spray pyrolysis technique. The sprayed solution consists of 0.1 M of zinc acetate dihydrate dissolved in double distilled water and sprays onto ultrasonically cleaned glass substrates maintained at 350°C, through an air-atomizing nozzle. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDX and UV-VIS spectrophotometer were applied to describe the structural, morphological, compositional and optical properties of ZnO catalyst. XRD analysis confirms that the films were found to be single phase hexagonal wurtzite structure. The SEM micrograph of the films is shown highly uniform, crack free and found to be fiber like structures. The optical transmittance spectra of the ZnO thin films were found to be transparent to visible light and the average optical transmittance was greater than 85%. The direct optical band gap energy values of the films shift towards the lower energy as a consequence of the thermal annealing. The Urbach energy of the films was found to increase with annealing temperature. The refractive index of the films was calculated and the refractive index dispersion curve of the films obeys the single oscillator model. The values of oscillatory energy Eo, dispersion energy Ed, and static dielectric constant εs for the ZnO thin films were determined. The films were evaluated for their ability to degrade methylene blue. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model was used to interpret quantitatively the observed kinetic experimental result. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO thin films was enhanced by annealing temperature.

Performance of a Demonstrative (Scale-Pilot) Double Advanced Oxidation Wastewater Treatment Plant to Treat Discharges from a Small Community in Morelia, Michoacán, México

This paper,reports the performance of a wastewater treatment scale-pilot plant to treat 2 GPM(Gallons per Minute)discharges with 5,205 mg/L of pollutants expressed in COD(Chemical Oxygen Demand),from“Lomas de la Maestransa”a small community in Morelia City,Michoacan,Mexico.The scale-pilot plant is a train with(1)pretreatment with a triturated pump for floating solid,(2)primary treatment with“in line”coagulation,and rapid filtration to retain suspended colloids and dissolved solids higher of 5μm diameter,(3)double advanced oxidation as secondary treatment with ozone and heterogeneous photo catalysis to oxidize volatile solids,and(4)tertiary treatment with activated carbon to retain refractory compounds.Plant performance was analyzed by a certified laboratory that belongs to Potable Water,Sewage and Sanitation Department from Morelia City Government.Results show that treated water effluent complied with the Mexican Official Standard NOM-001-SEMARNAT-1996 for discharges into national waters,with exception of fecal coliforms,since the raw water contains an average of 64,228,351 MNP/100 mL of fecal coliforms,and in spite that we obtained a 99.998%efficiency,the maximum level allowable 2,000 MPN/100 mL standard,was exceeded by 400 MPN/100 mL.After this experience,the wastewater treatment plant is equipped with a residual chlorine tank to keep a 1.5 ppm chlorine residual concentration to keep the treated water clean.This project was possible because we had the support of the Morelia Sanitation Department.

Boosting multi-hole water oxidation catalysis on hematite photoanodes under low bias

The accumulation of multiple surface holes is considered to be the key to efficient photoelectrochemical(PEC)water oxidation.Previous PEC water oxidation studies commonly apply high potentials(>1.2 VRHE)to achieve this key.But how to complete multi-hole transfer under low bias(<1.2 VRHE)remains unknown.Herein,we find that,on a typical visible-light photoanode,hematite(α-Fe_(2)O_(3)),UV excitation plays a indispensable role in driving multi-hole water oxidation under low bias.Compared with the visible-light excitation,the UV excitation promotes the formation of adjacent surface-trapped holes onα-Fe_(2)O_(3) at 0.9VRHE,thereby increasing the reaction order of surface holes from~1 to~2 and improving the PEC water oxidation activity by one order of magnitude.The UV irradiation reduces the formation probability of self-trapped excitons and results in~3 to 5-fold increase of surface holes.These advantages enable the UV excitation to contribute about 40%to the total photocurrent under 1 solar illumination,even though its energy only occupies 6%of the incident light.This mechanism is also applicable to boost selective two-hole oxidation of thioether at 0.1 VFc/Fc+and nitrite at 0.9 VRHE.

Advanced municipal wastewater treatment and simultaneous energy/resource recovery via photo(electro)catalysis

Wastewater management and energy/resource recycling have been extensively investigated via photo(electro)catalysis.Although both operation processes are driven effectively by the same interfacial charge,each system is practiced separately since they require very different reaction conditions.In this review,we showcase the recent advancements in photo(electro)catalytic process that enables the wastewater treatment and simultaneous energy/resource recovery(WT-ERR).Various literatures based on photo(electro)catalysis for wastewater treatment coupled with CO_(2)conversion,H_(2)production and heavy metal recovery are summarized.Besides,the fundamentals of photo(electro)catalysis and the influencing factors in such synergistic process are also presented.The essential feature of the catalysis lies in effectively utilizing hole oxidation for pollutant degradation and electron reduction for energy/resource recovery.Although in its infancy,the reviewed technology provides new avenue for developing next-generation wastewater treatment process.Moreover,we expect that this review can stimulate intensive researches to rationally design photo(electro)catalytic systems for environmental remediation accompanied with energy and resource recovery.

Sulphur vacancy defects engineered metal sulfides for amended photo(electro)catalytic water splitting: A review

Vacancy engineering in metal sulfides has garnered enormous attention from researchers because of their outstanding ability to modulate the optical and physiochemical properties of photocatalysts.Typically,in the case of sulfides,the catalytic activity is drastically hindered by the quick reassembly of excitons and the photocorrosion effect.Hence designing and generating S-vacancies in metal sulfides has emerged as a potential strategy for attaining adequate water splitting to generate H_(2) and O_(2) because of the simulta-neous improvement in the optoelectronic features.However,developing efficient catalysts that manifest optimal photo(electro)catalytic performance for large-scale applicability remains challenging.Therefore,it is of utmost interest to explore the insightful features of creating S-vacancy and study their impact on catalytic performance.This review article aims to comprehensively highlight the roles of S-vacancy in sulfides for amended overall water-splitting activity.The photocatalytic features of S-vacancies modulated metal sulfides are deliberated,followed by various advanced synthetic and characterization techniques for effectual generation and identification of vacancy defects.The specific aspects of S-vacancies in refin-ing the optical absorption range charge carrier dynamics,and photoinduced surface chemical reactions are critically examined for overall water splitting applications.Finally,the vouchsafing outlooks and op-portunities confronting the defect-engineered(S-vacancy)metal sulfides-based photocatalysts have been summarized.

3D Hierarchical Carbon‑Rich Micro‑/Nanomaterials for Energy Storage and Catalysis

Increasing concerns over climate change and energy shortage have driven the development of clean energy devices such as batteries,supercapacitors,fuel cells and solar water splitting in the past decades.And among potential device materials,3D hierarchical carbon-rich micro-/nanomaterials(3D HCMNs)have come under intense scrutiny because they can prevent the stacking and bundling of low-dimensional building blocks to not only shorten diffusion distances for matter and charge to achieve high-energy-high-power storage but also greatly expose active sites to achieve highly active,durable and efficient catalysis.Based on this,this review will summarize the synthetic strategies and formation mechanisms of 3D HCMNs,including 3D nanocarbons,polymers,COFs/MOFs,templated carbons and derived carbon-based hybrids with a focus on 3D superstructures such as urchins,flowers,hierarchical tubular structures as well as nanoarrays including nanotube,nanofiber and nanosheet arrays.This review will also discuss the application of 3D HCMNs in energy storage and catalysis systems,including batteries,supercapacitors,electrocatalysis and photo(electro)catalysis.Overall,this review will provide a comprehensive overview of the recent progress of 3D HCMNs in terms of preparation strategies,formation mechanisms,structural diversities and electrochemical applications to provide a guideline for the rational design and structure–function exploration of 3D hierarchical nanomaterials from different sources beyond carbon-based species.

High-entropy oxides as energy materials:from complexity to rational design

High-entropy oxides(HEOs),with their multi-principal-element compositional diversity,have emerged as promising candidates in the realm of energy materials.This review encapsulates the progress in harnessing HEOs for energy conversion and storage applications,encompassing solar cells,electrocatalysis,photocatalysis,lithium-ion batteries,and solid oxide fuel cells.The critical role of theoretical calculations and simulations is underscored,highlighting their contribution to elucidating material stability,deciphering structure-activity relationships,and enabling performance optimization.These computational tools have been instrumental in multi-scale modeling,high-throughput screening,and integrating artificial intelligence for material design.Despite their promise,challenges such as fabrication complexity,cost,and theoretical computational hurdles impede the broad application of HEOs.To address these,this review delineates future research perspectives.These include the innovation of cost-effective synthesis strategies,employment of in situ characterization for micro-chemical insights,exploration of unique physical phenomena to refine performance,and enhancement of computational models for precise structure-performance predictions.This review calls for interdisciplinary synergy,fostering a collaborative approach between materials science,chemistry,physics,and related disciplines.Collectively,these efforts are poised to propel HEOs towards commercial viability in the new energy technologies,heralding innovative solutions to pressing energy and environmental challenges.

Two-dimensional polymer nanosheets for efficient energy storage and conversion

As a promising graphene analogue,two-dimensional(2D)polymer nanosheets with unique 2D features,diversified topological structures and as well as tunable electronic properties,have received extensive attention in recent years.Here in this review,we summarized the recent research progress in the preparation methods of 2D polymer nanosheets,mainly including interfacial polymerization and solution polymerization.We also discussed the recent research advancements of 2D polymer nanosheets in the fields of energy storage and conversion applications,such as batteries,supercapacitors,electrocatalysis and photocatalysis.Finally,on the basis of their current development,we put forward the existing challenges and some personal perspectives.