Pei-Pei Wang

Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of porous anatase TiO2 microspheres composed of {010}-faceted nanobelts

Porous anatase TiO(2) microspheres composed of {010}-faceted nanobelts were synthesized through simple thermal treatment of a titanium glycerolate precursor. The as-prepared TiO(2) nanomaterial was shown to serve as an efficient photocatalyst for H(2) evolution, and its activity was more than twice that of the benchmark P25 TiO(2).

ZnxCd1−xS/bacterial cellulose bionanocomposite foams with hierarchical architecture and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production activity

Visible-light photocatalytic H2 production by water splitting is of great importance for its promising potential in converting solar energy to chemical energy. ZnxCd1−xS-based systems are intrinsic visible-light photocatalysts with appropriate electronic band structure and negative reduction potential of photoexcited electrons; however, the H2 evolution rate is far from satisfactory. A common strategy for improving the photocatalytic activity includes the incorporation of expensive cocatalysts such as noble metals and graphene. Here, we report, for the first time, that high visible-light photocatalytic H2 production activity can be achieved by organizing ZnxCd1−xS nanoparticles into the hierarchical architecture of bacterial cellulose (BC). This is achieved by templated mineralization and ion exchange/seeded growth. The bionanocomposite foams of ZnxCd1−xS/BC are flexible, monolithic and hierarchically porous. The optimized Zn0.09Cd0.91S/BC exhibits a high H2 evolution rate of 1450 μmol h−1 g−1 and an excellent apparent quantum efficiency of 12% at 420 nm. The monolithic nature of ZnxCd1−xS/BC makes catalyst recovery and recycling possible. The current work manifests that the integration of intrinsic chemical properties with multilength scale structural hierarchy affords performance optimization.

A precursor route to porous ZnO nanotubes with superior gas sensing properties

Porous ZnO nanotubes with superior sensing response to ethanol have been prepared by simple thermal treatment of an inorganic–organic ZnS–CHA (CHA = cyclohexylamine) hybrid precursor.

A facile method for enhancing the sensing performance of zinc oxide nanofibers gas sensors

ZnO nanoparticles and nanofibers are prepared using radio-frequency (RF) sputtering and electrospinning, respectively. The performances of ZnO nanoparticles–nanofibers sensors are superior to those of ZnO nanofibers and ZnO nanoparticles sensors for ethanol. It is due to the increase of effective contact area and porosity of ZnO nanofibers.

Facile synthesis of single-crystalline hollow α-Fe2O3 nanospheres with gas sensing properties

High-quality single-crystalline hollow α-Fe2O3 nanospheres were prepared, using the ZnS–CHA (CHA = cyclohexylamine) nanohybrid as an additive through a solvothermal reaction, which avoids tedious steps and a high temperature calcination process. The formation process of these hollow nanospheres can be divided into two stages: (i) formation of solid Fe2O3 nanospheres and (ii) preferential inside-out dissolution of the solid nanoparticles to form hollow nanospheres. Due to the unique single-crystalline hollow structure, the as-obtained α-Fe2O3 nanomaterial exhibits enhanced gas sensing properties.

Zinc oxide aerogel-like materials with an intriguing interwoven hollow-sphere morphology for selective ethanol sensing

Zinc oxide aerogel-like materials with interconnected multimodal porosity and an intriguing interwoven hollow-sphere morphology were generated from zinc oxide/bacterial cellulose nanocomposite foams by controlled calcination. The monolithic zinc oxide aerogel-like materials with hierarchical porosity and high specific surface area exhibit excellent selective ethanol sensing properties.