TiO2/Ti3C2 as an efficient photocatalyst for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde

The solvent-free and aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol catalyzed by Pd supported on carbon nitride/CeO2 composites

Palladium catalysts supported on carbon nitride/ceria composites showed superior activity during the solvent-free and aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde.

A Novel N-Doped Nanoporous Bio-Graphene Synthesized from Pistacia lentiscus Gum and Its Nanocomposite with WO3 Nanoparticles: Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity

This paper reports the synthesis of a new nitrogen-doped porous bio-graphene (NPBG) with a specific biomorphic structure, using Pistacia lentiscus as a natural carbon source containing nitrogen that also acts as a bio-template. The obtained NPBG demonstrated the unique feature of doped nitrogen with a 3D nanoporous structure. Next, a WO₃/N-doped porous bio-graphene nanocomposite (WO₃/NPBG-NC) was synthesized, and the products were characterized using XPS, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, EDX, XRD, and Raman analyses. The presence of nitrogen doped in the structure of the bio-graphene (BG) was confirmed to be pyridinic-N and pyrrolic-N with N1 peaks at 398.3 eV and 400.5 eV, respectively. The photocatalytic degradation of the anionic azo dyes and drugs was investigated, and the results indicated that the obtained NPBG with a high surface area (151.98 m²/g), unique electronic properties, and modified surface improved the adsorption and photocatalytic properties in combination with WO₃ nanoparticles (WO₃-NPs) as an effective visible-light-driven photocatalyst. The synthesized WO₃/NPBG-NC with a surface area of 226.92 m²/g displayed lower bandgap and higher electron transfer compared with blank WO₃-NPs, leading to an increase in the photocatalytic performance through the enhancement of the separation of charge and a reduction in the recombination rate. At the optimum conditions of 0.015 g of the nanocomposite, a contact time of 15 min, and 100 mg/L of dyes, the removal percentages were 100%, 99.8%, and 98% for methyl red (MR), Congo red (CR), and methyl orange (MO), respectively. In the case of the drugs, 99% and 87% of tetracycline and acetaminophen, respectively, at a concentration of 10 mg/L, were removed after 20 min.

Synthesis of Ni modified Au@CdS core-shell nanostructures for enhancing photocatalytic coproduction of hydrogen and benzaldehyde under visible light

The development of visible light responsive photocatalysts for simultaneous production of hydrogen (H₂) fuel and value-added chemicals is greatly promising to solve the energy and environmental issues by improving the utilization efficiency of solar energy. Herein, the three-component Ni/(Au@CdS) core-shell nanostructures were constructed by the hydrothermal synthesis followed with photodeposition. The intimate integration of plasmonic Au nanospheres and visible-light responsive CdS shells modified with Ni cocatalyst facilitated the generation and separation of electron-hole pairs as well as reduced the overpotential of hydrogen evolution. The Ni/(Au@CdS) photocatalyst exhibited excellent performance toward the selective transformation of benzyl alcohol under anaerobic conditions, and the yields of H₂ and benzaldehyde reached up to 3882 and 4242 μmol·g^-1·h^-1, respectively. The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) was determined to be 4.09% under the irradiation of 420 nm. The systematic studies have verified the synergy of plasmonic effect and metal cocatalyst on enhancing the photocatalysis. This work highlights the desirable design and potential application of plasmonic photocatalysts for solar-driven coproduction of H₂ fuel and high-value chemicals.

A porphyrin-conjugated TiO2/CoFe2O4 nanostructure photocatalyst for the selective production of aldehydes under visible light

A ZnTCPP-TiO₂/CoFe₂O₄ nanohybrid easily reusable using a permanent magnet without losing its reactivity for the selective production of aldehydes from a mechanistic point of view.