Polyaniline Nanotube-ZnO Composite Materials: Facile Synthesis and Application

Polyaniline nanotubes and PANI-ZnO nanocomposites were prepared by the simplified Template-Free method. The experimental results indicated that the average diameter of Polyaniline nanotubes was approximately 150-200 nm. The average crystallite size of ZnO in PANI-ZnO composites was 27 nm. Moreover, the as-prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, FT-IR spectroscopy（FTIR） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）. Photocatalytic properties of the obtained samples were investigated by the photodegradation analysis of orange II and methylene orange dye. The as-prepared PANIZnO nanocomposites exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than pure PANI nanotubes. During 2 h photocatalytic courses under UV irradiation, the degradation ratios of Orange II and methyl orange using PANIZnO nanocomposites were 90.3% and 84.5%, respectively. Furthermore, this method can be extended to prepare other organic-inorganic semiconductor composites based composite catalysts.

Visible Light-induced Cr-doped SrTiO_3-g-C_3N_4 Composite for Improved Photocatalytic Performance

Novel visible light-induced Cr-doped Sr Ti O3-g-C3N4 composite photocatalysts were synthesized by introducing polymeric g-C3N4. The composite photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy（HRTEM）, Fourier transform infrared（FT-IR） spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, photoluminescence（PL） spectroscopy and BET surface area measurements. The photocatalytic oxidation ability of the novel composite photocatalyst was evaluated using methyl orange（MO） as a target pollutant. The photocatalysts exhibited a significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance in degrading MO. The optimal g-C3N4 content for the photodegradation activity of the composite photocatalysts was determined. The as-prepared composite photocatalyst exhibits an improved photocatalytic activity due to enhancement of photo-generated electron-hole separation at the interface.

Photocatalytic properties of P25-doped TiO_2 composite film synthesized via sol–gel method on cement substrate

TiO2 films have received increasing attention for the removal of organic pollutants via photocatalysis. To develop a simple and effective method for improving the photodegradation efficiency of pollutants in surface water, we herein examined the preparation of a P25-TiO2 composite film on a cement substrate via a sol–gel method. In this case, Rhodamine B（Rh B）was employed as the target organic pollutant. The self-generated TiO2 film and the P25-TiO2 composite film were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, N2 adsorption/desorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy（DRS）. The photodegradation efficiencies of the two films were studied by Rh B removal in water under UV（ultraviolet） irradiation. Over 4 day exposure, the P25-TiO2 composite film exhibited higher photocatalytic performance than the self-generated TiO2 film. The photodegradation rate indicated that the efficiency of the P25-TiO2 composite film was enhanced by the addition of the rutile phase Degussa P25 powder. As such, cooperation between the anatase TiO2 and rutile P25 nanoparticles was beneficial for separation of the photo-induced electrons and holes. In addition, the influence of P25 doping on the P25-TiO2 composite films was evaluated. We found that up to a certain saturation point, increased doping enhanced the photodegradation ability of the composite film. Thus, we herein demonstrated that the doping of P25 powders is a simple but effective strategy to prepare a P25-TiO2 composite film on a cement substrate, and the resulting film exhibits excellent removal efficiency in the degradation of organic pollutants.

Application of Ag/AgBr/GdVO_4 composite photocatalyst in wastewater treatment

Ag/AgBr/GdVO_4 composite photocatalysts were designed and synthesized in this paper.The physical and chemical structures, as well as optical properties of the synthesized composite were investigated via XRD, XPS, TEM, and UV–vis. It is found that the composite showed a ternary heterojunction structure of Ag, Ag Br and GdVO_4. Meanwhile, it has a high intensity of light current, indicating its high separation efficiency of electron and hole.Photocatalytic oxidation of rhodamine B（RhB） under visible light irradiation was performed to investigate the activity of the Ag/Ag Br/GdVO_4 composite. Result indicates that it shows excellent photocatalytic activity. Under visible light irradiation for 12 min, about 80% of Rh B（30 μmol/L） was degraded. The degradation rate is estimated to be 0.253 min1, which is three times higher than that of pure AgBr. The high photoactivity can be ascribed to the synergetic effect of Ag Br, GdVO_4, and Ag nanoparticle in separation of electron–hole pairs.

Immobilization of self-assembled pre-dispersed nano-TiO_2 onto montmorillonite and its photocatalytic activity

The immobilization of pre-dispersed Ti O2 colloids onto the external surface of the clay mineral montmorillonite（Mt） was accomplished and regulated via a self-assembly method employing the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide（CTAB）. The role of CTAB in the synthesis process was investigated by preparing a series of Ti O2-CTAB-Mt composites（TCM） with various CTAB doses. The results indicated that a uniform and continuous Ti O2 film was deposited on the external surface of montmorillonite in the composite synthesized with 0.1 wt.% of CTAB, and the TCM nano-composites showed much higher values for specific surface area, average pore size and pore volume than the raw montmorillonite clay. Then, the formed TCM materials were applied in photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol（2,4-DCP） in aqueous solution. The degradation efficiency reached as high as 94.7%. Based on the degradation intermediates benezoquinone, fumaric acid and oxalic acid identified by LC-MS analysis, a mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidation of 2,4-DCP on Ti O2/Mt nano-composites is proposed.