Semiconductor-based Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

Novel in situ N-doped (BiO)2CO3 hierarchical microspheres self-assembled by nanosheets as efficient and durable visible light driven photocatalyst

Novel N-doped (BiO)(2)CO(3) hierarchical microspheres (N-BOC) were fabricated by a facile one-pot template free method on the basis of hydrothermal treatment of bismuth citrate and urea in water for the first time. The N-BOC sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N(2) adsorption-desorption isotherms, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. The N-BOC was constructed by the self-assembly of single-crystalline nanosheets. The aggregation of nanosheets led to the formation of hierarchical framework with mesopores, which is favorable for efficient transport of reaction molecules and harvesting of photoenergy. Due to the in situ doped nitrogen substituting for oxygen in the lattice of (BiO)(2)CO(3), the band gap of N-BOC was reduced from 3.4 to 2.5 eV, making N-BOC visible light active. The N-BOC exhibited not only excellent visible light photocatalytic activity, but also high photochemical stability and durability during repeated and long-term photocatalytic removal of NO in air due to the special hierarchical structure. This work demonstrates that the facile fabrication method for N-BOC combined with the associated outstanding visible light photocatalytic performance could provide new insights into the morphology-controlled fabrication of nanostructured photocatalytic materials for environmental pollution control.

Molecular Chemistry for Solar Fuels: From Natural to Artificial Photosynthesis

The world needs new, environmentally friendly, and renewable fuels to exchange for fossil fuels. The fuel must be made from cheap, abundant, and renewable resources. The research area of solar fuels aims to meet this demand. This paper discusses why we need a solar fuel, and proposes solar energy as the major renewable energy source to feed from. The scientific field concerning artificial photosynthesis is expanding rapidly and most of the different scientific visions for solar fuels are briefly reviewed. Research strategies for the development of artificial photosynthesis to produce solar fuels are overviewed, with some critical concepts discussed in closer detail.

Synthesis of nanostructured silver/silver halides on titanate surfaces and their visible-light photocatalytic performance

Dense and uniform silver halides AgX (X = Cl, Br, I) nanoparticles were successfully fabricated on layered titanate nanowired honeycomb (TNHC) thin films. The growth of AgX nanocrystals was carried out through two steps. Firstly, ion-exchange was employed to incorporate Ag(+) ions into the interlayer of the titanate nanowires. Secondly, hydrogen halide (HX) solution was rapidly injected onto the ion-exchanged silver TNHC surface to generate nanosized AgX particles on TNHC films. The effect of the reaction time, solution pH, and concentration of halide anions on the morphology of the AgX photocatalysts has been studied. Followed by light-irradiation, the optimized Ag/AgX thin films exhibited excellent degradation performance under visible light because of localized surface plasmon resonance effect.

Retracted Article: Honeycomb-like Co–B amorphous alloy catalysts assembled by a solution plasma process show enhanced catalytic hydrolysis activity for hydrogen generation

A novel solution plasma process was developed to assemble honeycomb-like Co–B amorphous alloy catalysts with 253.33 m² g⁻¹ specific surface area using triethanolamine (TEA) as a soft template.