Ting Cui

Dendritic TiO2/ln2S3/AgInS2 Trilaminar Core–Shell Branched Nanoarrays and the Enhanced Activity for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Hierarchical TiO2 /ln2 S3 /AgInS2 trilaminar core-shell branched nanorod arrays (T-CS BNRs) have been fabricated directly on conducting glass substrates (FTO) via a facile, versatile and low-cost hydrothermal and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. On the basis of optimal thickness of AgInS2 shell, such TiO2 /ln2 S3 /AgInS2 T-CS BNRs exhibit a higher photocatalytic activity, the photocurrent density and efficiency for hydrogen generation are up to 22.13 mA·cm(-2) and 14.83%, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest value ever reported for similar nanostructures. The trilaminar architecture is able to suppress carrier recombination and increase electron collection efficiency via (i) increasing the photon absorption through the lager specific surface area of TiO2 BNRs and a sensitizer layer (AgInS2 ), (ii) a buffer layer (ln2 S3 ), (iii) a better energy level alignment.

Efficient visible light photocatalytic activity of p–n junction CuO/TiO2 loaded on natural zeolite

Highly efficient and visible-light-responsive p–n junction CuO/TiO2-zeolite heterogeneous nanostructures had been successfully synthesized by a standard impregnation method. A detailed study of p–n junction CuO/TiO2-zeolite impacting on the photodecoloration of a MB solution showed that the composite was highly reusable and stable for long-running photocatalytic application. The apparent rate constant of the CuO/TiO2-zeolite was calculated to be 0.0704 min−1, which is 1.4 times higher than that of TiO2-zeolite (k = 0.048 min−1) and 1.9 times higher than that of zeolite (k = 0.0368 min−1). The experimental results indicated that the composites had a superior photocatalytic activity for the decoloration of dye wastewater under visible light irradiation because the p–n junction was formed between CuO and TiO2. The assembly of p-type CuO produces a large number of p–n junction heterostructures on the surface of TiO2, where CuO and TiO2 form p- and n-type semiconductors, respectively. The p–n junction could efficiently suppress charge recombination, improve interfacial charge transfer, enhance visible-light adsorption and provide plentiful photocatalytic reaction active sites. This new p–n junction heteronanostructure is expected to show considerable potential application in solar-driven wastewater treatment.

Three-dimensional flower-like hybrid BiOI–zeolite composites with highly efficient adsorption and visible light photocatalytic activity

Three-dimensional flower-like hybrid BiOI–zeolite composites were synthesized via a simple, facile and environmentally-benign hydrothermal method. And the synthetic mechanism of the flower-like BiOI–zeolite hierarchical structures was discussed. The as-obtained BiOI–zeolite samples exhibited excellent performance in the degradation of methylene blue solution under visible light irradiation. The influence of different Bi/I molar ratios and surfactants was studied. The degradation rate of MB by BiOI–zeolite composite photocatalysts can reach 94.8% under visible light irradiation for 10 min, when the Bi/I molar ratio is 1:1 and is surfactant free. This implies its huge application potential as photocatalysts in degradation of pollutants under visible light.