TiO2/BiVO4, a Heterojuncted Microfiber with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance for Methylene Blue under Visible Light Irradiation

Novel TiO2/BiVO4 microfiber heterojunctions were constructed using cotton as biomorphic templates. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra and photocatalytic experiment. The morphology of the as-synthesized TiO2/BiVO4 composites was consisted of a large quantity of microfiber structures with diameter from 2.5 gm to 5 μm, and the surface of samples became more coarse and compact with the increase of weight ratio of TiO2. The TiO2/BiVO4 samples with proper content （10.00wt%） showed the highest pho- tocatalytic degradation activity for methylene blue （MB） degradation among all the samples under visible light, and 88.58%MB could be degraded within 150 min. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity was mainly attributed to the formation of n-n heterojunction at the contact interface of TiO2 and BiVO4, which not only narrowed the band gap of BiVO4 for extending the absorption range of visible light, but also promoted the transfer of charge carriers across interface. A possible photodegradation mechanism of MB in the presence of TiO2/BiVO4 microfibrous photocatalyst was proposed.

Homogeneous nitrogen-doped(111)-type layered Sr5Nb4O15-xNx as a visible-light-responsive photocatalyst for water oxidation

The development of visible-light-responsive photocatalysts for promoting solar-driven oxygen(O2)production from water splitting is a potentially attractive but still a challenging scheme.In the present work,a(111)-type layered perovskite oxynitride,Sr5Nb4O15-xNx,was synthesized via the nitridation treatment of the disk-like oxide precursor under the ammonia flow,which was fabricated using a flux method.The homogeneous dispersion of nitrogen(N)dopant in N-doped Sr5Nb4O15 was ascertained by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy characterization,and the Sr5Nb4O15-xNx was found to be a direct semiconductor with a light absorption edge of approximately 640 nm.Density functional theory investigation implies that the hybridization between the outmost N 2p orbitals and O 2p orbitals upshifts the original valence band maximum of Sr5Nb4O15 and endows its visible-light-responsive characteristics.Loading with cobalt oxide(CoOx)as cocatalyst,the as-prepared Sr5Nb4O15-xNx exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic O2 evolution activity from water splitting under visible-light illumination(λ>420 nm).Moreover,another homogeneous N-doped layered perovskite-type niobium(Nb)-based oxynitride,Ba5Nb4O15-xNx,was also developed and investigated for the visible-light-actuated O2 production,highlighting the versatility of the present approach for exploring novel visible-light-responsive photocatalysts.

Crystal design of bismuth oxyiodide with highly exposed (110) facets on curved carbon nitride for the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants in wastewater

Crystalline materials with specific facet atomic arrangements and crystal facet structures exhibit unique functions according to their facet effects, quantum size effects and physical and chemical properties. In this study, a novel high-exposure (110) facet of bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) was prepared (denoted as BiOI-110), and designed as nanosheets rich in oxygen vacancies by crystal facet design and regulation. Graphitic carbon nitride was designed as curved carbon nitride with dibromopyrazine, denoted as DCN, which contributed to a significant structural distortion in plane symmetry and improved the separation of charge carriers. Novel heterostructured BiOI-110/DCN nanosheets with a high-exposure (110) facet and abundant oxygen vacancies were successfully designed to enhance the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. It was demonstrated that complete and tight contact between BiOI-110 and DCN was achieved by changing the size and crystal facet of BiOI. Oxytetracycline (OTC) and methyl blue dyes were used as targets for pollutant degradation, and 85.6% and 96.5% photocatalytic degradation efficiencies, respectively, were observed in the optimal proportion of 7% BiOI-110/DCN. The experimental results and electron spin resonance analysis showed that •O_(2)^(–) and h^(+) played a major role in the process of pollutant degradation. Additionally, high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrography was used to identify the reaction intermediates of OTC, and the possible degradation pathway of this pollutant was proposed. Finally, the excellent reusability of BiOI-110/DCN nanomaterials was confirmed, providing a new approach for the removal of antibiotics that are difficult to biodegrade. Overall, crystal facet design has been proven to have broad prospects in improving the water environment.

Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic application of H_3PW_(12)O_(40)/BiVO_4 composite photocatalyst

A series of H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composite with different H3PW12O40 loadings were prepared using a hydrothermal and impregnation method. The prepared composites were characterized by XRD, Raman, SEM, XPS, and DRS techniques. The bandgap of the composite was narrower compared with the as-prepared pure BiVO4 . As a novel photocatalytic material, the photocatalytic performance of the H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composite was investigated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye solution under visible light irradiation and compared with that of pure BiVO4 . The results revealed that the introduction of H3PW12O40 could improve the photocatalytic performance and different concentrations of H3PW12O40 resulted in different photocatalytic activities. The highest activity was obtained by the sample with a loading HPW concentration of 10 wt%. The reason for the enhanced photocatalytic activities of H3PW12O40/BiVO4 samples was also discussed in this paper. Moreover, the H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composites retained the catalytic activity after four repeated experiments.

0D/1D AgI/MoO_(3)Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst:Highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst for sulfamethoxazole degradation

Low dimension nano photocatalysts show great potential in the field of treating contaminated water for their large surface area and size effect.In this study,a 0 D/1 D AgI/MoO_(3)Z-scheme photocatalyst with striking photocatalytic performance was constructed successfully.The one-dimensional MoO_(3)nanobelts were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method,and then it was modified by AgI nanoparticles in a handy deposition approach.When choosing sulfamethoxazole(SMZ)as the target contaminant,the rate constant value of the optimal 0 D/1 D AgI/MoO_(3)composite could hit up to 0.13 min^(-1),which is nearly 22.4 times and 32.5 times as that of pure MoO_(3)(0.0058 min^(-1))and AgI(0.0040 min^(-1)),respectively.A series of detailed characterizations give evidences that the charge transfer in the composite followed Z scheme mechanism.Therefore,efficient separation/transfer and the remained high redox activity of photogenerated carriers played a vital role in the sharply enhanced photocatalytic properties.The possible degradation pathways of SMZ were proposed based on the intermediates detected by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS).Meanwhile,the magnificent cyclic stability makes the material a promising material in the practical application.