Quanpeng Chen

Visible-Light Responsive Photocatalytic Fuel Cell Based on WO3/W Photoanode and Cu2O/Cu Photocathode for Simultaneous Wastewater Treatment and Electricity Generation

A visible-light driven photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) system comprised of WO(3)/W photoanode and Cu(2)O/Cu photocathode was established for organic compounds degradation with simultaneous electricity generation. The central idea for its operation is the mismatched Fermi levels between the two photoelectrodes. Under light illumination, the Fermi level of WO(3)/W photoanode is higher than that of Cu(2)O/Cu photocathode. An interior bias can be produced based on which the electrons of WO(3)/W photoanode can transfer from the external circuit to combine with the holes of Cu(2)O/Cu photocathode then generates the electricity. In this manner, the electron/hole pairs separations at two photoelectrodes are facilitated to release the holes of WO(3)/W photoanode and electrons of Cu(2)O/Cu photocathode. Organic compounds can be decomposed by the holes of WO(3)/W photoanode due to its high oxidation power (+3.1-3.2 V(NHE)). The results demonstrated that various model compounds including phenol, Rhodamine B, and Congo red can be successfully decomposed in this PFC system, with the degradation rate after 5 h operation were obtained to be 58%, 63%, and 74%, respectively. The consistent operation for continuous water treatment with the electricity generation at a long time scale was also confirmed from the result. The proposed PFC system provides a self-sustained and energy-saving way for simultaneous wastewater treatment and energy recovery.

Efficient electricity production and simultaneously wastewater treatment via a high-performance photocatalytic fuel cell

A great quantity of wastewater were discharged into water body, causing serious environmental pollution. Meanwhile, the organic compounds in wastewater are important sources of energy. In this work, a high-performance short TiO(2) nanotube array (STNA) electrode was applied as photoanode material in a novel photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) system for electricity production and simultaneously wastewater treatment. The results of current work demonstrate that various model compounds as well as real wastewater samples can be used as substrates for the PFC system. As a representative of model compounds, the acetic acid solution produces the highest cell performance with short-circuit current density 1.42 mA cm(-2), open-circuit voltage 1.48 V and maximum power density output 0.67 mW cm(-2). The STNA photoanode reveals obviously enhanced cell performance compared with TiO(2) nanoparticulate film electrode or other long nanotubes electrode. Moreover, the photoanode material, electrolyte concentration, pH of the initial solution, and cathode material were found to be important factors influencing the system performance of PFC. Therefore, the proposed fuel cell system provides a novel way of energy conversion and effective disposal mode of organics and serves well as a promising technology for wastewater treatment.

Converting hazardous organics into clean energy using a solar responsive dual photoelectrode photocatalytic fuel cell

Direct discharging great quantities of organics into water-body not only causes serious environmental pollution but also wastes energy sources. In this paper, a solar responsive dual photoelectrode photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC(2)) based on TiO2/Ti photoanode and Cu2O/Cu photocathode was designed for hazardous organics treatment with simultaneous electricity generation. Under solar irradiation, the interior bias voltage produced for the Fermi level difference between photoelectrodes drives photoelectrons of TiO2/Ti photoanode to combine with photoholes of Cu2O/Cu photocathode through external circuit thus generating electricity. In the meantime, organics are decomposed by photoholes remained at TiO2/Ti photoanode. By using various hazardous organics including azo dyes as model pollutants, the PFC showed high converting performance of organics into electricity. For example, in 0.05 M phenol solution, a short-circuit current density 0.23 mA cm(-2), open-circuit voltage 0.49 V, maximum power output 0.3610(-4)W cm(-2) was achieved. On the other hand, removal rate of chroma reached 67%, 87% and 63% in 8h for methyl orange, methylene blue, Congo red, respectively.

Self-Biasing Photoelectrochemical Cell for Spontaneous Overall Water Splitting under Visible-Light Illumination

A self-biasing photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell that could work for spontaneous overall water splitting in a neutral solution was established based on the mismatched Fermi levels between the photoelectrodes. A Pt-catalyst-decorated crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell (Pt/PVC) was prepared and employed as an effective photocathode. This was coupled with a poly(ethylene glycol)-directed WO3/W photoanode prepared by a hydrothermal process. Both of the photoelectrodes showed a response to visible light. The WO3/W photoanode had a positively located valence band edge, the energy level of which was enough for water oxidation, and the Pt/PVC photocathode possessed a negatively located conduction band edge, which was capable of water reduction. More importantly, the Fermi level of the WO3/W photoanode was more positive than that of the Pt/PVC photocathode because of the p-n junction of the PVC that decoupled the band bending and enlarged the photovoltage. Under visible-light irradiation, the WO3/W photoanode provided a negative bias for the Pt/PVC photocathode, and the Pt/PVC photocathode provided a positive bias for the WO3/W photoanode. An interior bias was generated that could relax the strict criteria of overall water splitting by cooperatively separating the hole-electron pairs at both photoelectrodes. In this system, the short-circuit current and the open-circuit voltage increased with increasing light intensity (AM 1.5 illumination) to reach 121 μA cm(-2) and 0.541 V, respectively, at a light intensity of 100 mW cm(-2). Such a combination provides a promising method for the fabrication of self-driven devices for solar-energy storage.

Assessment of a COD analytical method based on the photoelectrocatalysis of a TiO2 nanotube array sensor

This work mainly describes assessment of a photoelectrocatalytic method to determine chemical oxygen demand (COD) in refractory and low-concentration organics using a highly effective TiO2 nanotube array sensor in a thin-cell reactor. Twenty organic compounds, including recalcitrant organics from six categories, were used as model compounds to evaluate the accuracy of the method. The correlation between theoretical oxygen demand (ThCOD) and response COD was studied. The linear regression equation COD = α × ThCOD was obtained, where α is the slope of the regression equation representing the conformity between the actual COD value and the theoretical value. Results of the photoelectrochemical method used in the present paper show excellent conformity between ThOD and response COD for all model compounds, with α and correlation coefficient r values of 0.9903 and 0.9901, respectively. However, results using the standard dichromate method show poor conformity, with α and r values of only 0.8359 and 0.8213, respectively. Hence, we conclude that this photoelectrocatalytic method is superior to the dichromate method for determination of COD in refractory and low-concentration organics. The photoelectrocatalytic method possesses a detection limit of 0.5 mg L−1, while dichromate COD values lower than 20 mg L−1 could not accurately be detected, with the exception of sugars.

Characterization and Mechanism of the Photoelectrocatalytic Oxidation of Organic Pollutants in a Thin-Layer Reactor

Abstract The characterization and mechanism of the photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of a typical endocrine disrupting chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA), on TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) were investigated using a thin-layer reactor where BPA was rapidly and exhaustively oxidized. Physical parameters such as the photocurrent, the initial peak photocurrent, the exhaustive charge quantity, and the blank photocurrent were found to be related to the degradation rate and the reaction mechanism. The Langmuir equation was used to fit the relationship between the initial peak photocurrent response and the BPA concentration indicating the proportionality between the photocurrent responses and the adsorbed organic concentration. A first-order exponential decay fitting of transient photocurrent profiles indicated the validity of first-order organic degradation kinetics for the photoelectrocatalysis. These relationships were found to be valid for many other organics including urea, glycol, glumatic acid, tartaric acid, methanol, and diethanolamine. The quantitative relationship found in this study provides a theoretical foundation for the real-time determination of the degradability of toxic organics by photoelectrocatalytic sensors.

Adsorption and photoelectrocatalytic characteristics of organics on TiO2 nanotube arrays

The adsorption and photoelectrocatalytic characteristics of four different kinds of organic compounds (d-fructose, glutamic acid, fumaric acid, and nicotinic acid) on TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) were investigated using a thin-layer cell, wherein the compounds were rapidly and exhaustively oxidized. The photogenerated current–time (Iph–t) profiles were found to be related to the adsorption, the degradation rate, and the reaction mechanism. The relationship between the initial organic compounds concentrations and photocurrent peaks (I0ph) fit the Langmuir type adsorption model well, thereby confirming that the adsorption of organic compounds on TNAs was via monolayer adsorption. The adsorption equilibrium constant was obtained from the Langmuir equation. The results indicate that the adsorption performance of the organic compounds on TNAs were in the following order: nicotinic acid < d-fructose < glutamic acid < fumaric acid. The degradation of organic compounds on TNAs was classified as either easy or difficult based on the time of complete mineralization (tend) of the organic samples under an equal holes consumption; the degree of degradation were as follows: fumaric acid < d-fructose < glutamic acid < nicotinic acid. The photoelectrocatalytic characteristics of the organic compounds on TNAs were also discussed by analyzing the changes in the Iph–t profiles.

Photoelectrocatalytic Performance of Benzoic Acid on Nanotube Array Electrodes

The photoelectrocatalytic performance of benzoic acid on TiO2 nanotube array electrodes was investigated. A thin-cell was used to discuss the effect of the bias voltage, illumination intensity, and electrolyte concentration on the photoelectrocatalytic degradation efficiency of benzoic acid. The photogenerated current-time (I-t) profiles were found to be related to the adsorption and the degradation process. The relationship between the initial concentration and the photocurrent peaks () fits the Langmuir-type adsorption model, thus confirming that the adsorption of benzoic acid on TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) was single monolayer adsorption. At low concentrations, the I-t profiles simply decay after the initial transient peak due to the sufficient holes on the TNAs which would oxidize the benzoic acid quickly. However, the I-t profiles varied with increasing benzoic acid concentrations because the rate of diffusion in the bulk solution and the degradation of the intermediate products affect the photoelectrocatalysis on the electrode surface.