Facile Synthesis of Broadleaf-Shaped Titanate Nanosheets with Excellent UV Absorption Behavior

Broadleaf-shaped titanate nanosheets(B-TNSs)were synthesized via one-pot solvothermal method,and characterized by scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and X-ray diffraction etc.It is found that the synthesized B-TNSs consist of broadleaf-shaped nanosheet with a lateral size of ca.100 nm and a thickness of ca.1.2 nm.Owing to the ultrathin thickness,obvious blue shift of the absorption band edge can be observed in the absorption spectrum of B-TNSs resulting from quantum size effect.Besides,the specific surface area of B-TNSs is determined to be 348 m2/g,which is ca.6-fold larger than that of commercial P25 TiO2 nanoparticles.In the optical absorption experiment,B-TNSs exhibit much stronger absorption for ultraviolet light than P25 TiO2.These advantages of B-TNSs in morphological structure and optical absorption may make it a potential application in ultraviolet absorption and photocatalytic field.

Rationally designed ultrathin Ni(OH)_(2)/titanate nanosheet heterostructure for photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction

Dye-sensitized photocatalysis has been extensively studied for photocatalytic solar energy conversion due to the advantage in capturing long-wavelength photons with a high absorption coefficient.The rational integration of photosensitizer with semiconductor and cocatalyst to collaboratively operate in one system is highly desired.Here,we fabricate a Ni(OH)_(2)-loaded titanate nanosheet(Ni(OH)_(2)/H_(2)Ti_(6)O_(13))composite for high-performance dye-sensitized photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction.The ultrathin H_(2)Ti_(6)O_(13) nanosheets with negative surface charge provide an excellent support to anchor the dye photosensitizer,while the loaded Ni(OH)2 serves as an adsorbent of CO_(2) and electron sink of photoelectrons.As such,the photoelectrons derived from the[Ru(bpy)3]Cl_(2) sensitizer can be targeted transfer to the Ni(OH)_(2) active sites via the H_(2) Ti_(6)O_(13) nanosheets linker.A high CO production rate of 1801μmol g^(-1) h^(-1) is obtained over the optimal Ni(OH)_(2)/H_(2)Ti_(6)O_(13),while the pure H_(2)Ti_(6)O_(13) shows significantly lower CO_(2) reduction performance.The work is anticipated to trigger more research attention on the rational design and synthesis of earth-abundant transition metal-based cocatalysts decorated on ultrathin 2D platforms for artificially photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction.