Yingjie Hua

Synthesis and characterization of multipod frameworks of Cu2O microcrystals and Cu7S4 hollow microcages

A variety of multipod frameworks of Cu2O microcrystals have been prepared through careful control of the ratios of n-butyl alcohol to water, and novel 14-pod Cu2O frameworks are first reported. Moreover, template-assisted synthesis of multipod frameworks of Cu7S4 microcages using the obtained Cu2O microcrystals as sacrificial templates is reported.

Microwave synthesis and photocatalytic activity of Tb3+ doped BiVO4 microcrystals

Tb(3+) doped BiVO4 has been successfully synthesized by a simple microwave-assisted hydrothermal method at 140°C for 30min. The structure, morphology and optical property of the Tb(3+) doped BiVO4 products have been systematically investigated. This study indicates that the incorporation of Tb(3+) could induce the conversion of structure from monoclinic to tetragonal for BiVO4. Furthermore, the as-obtained Tb(3+) doped BiVO4 samples showed an obvious morphological change: the hollow square rod-like BiVO4 crystal gradually changed to spindle-like crystal. The Tb(3+) doped BiVO4 products exhibited extraordinary photocatalytic activity for Methylene Blue (MB) degradation under visible light irradiation. The doped BiVO4 at a molar ratio of 2at% (Tb and Bi) with a mixture of monoclinic and tetragonal phases showed and prominent photocatalytic degradation rate, which reached 99.9% in 120min. The results suggest that the differences in the photocatalytic activity of these BiVO4 crystals with different Tb(3+) doping concentrations can be attributed to the change of crystalline phases, and the coexistence of the monoclinic/tetragonal phases in BiVO4 products, which improve the efficient charge separation and transportation.