Nanodispersed Mn3O4/γ-Al2O3 for NO2 Elimination at Room Temperature

Novel application of sodium manganese oxide in removing acidic gases in ambient conditions

In this study, we have demonstrated the application of sodium manganese oxide for the chemisorption of toxic acidic gases at room temperature. The fabricated alkali ceramic has Na_0.4MnO₂, Na₂Mn₃O₇, and Na_xMnO₂ phases with a surface area of 2.6 m² g^-1. Na-Mn oxide was studied for oxidation of H₂S, SO₂, and NO₂ gases in the concentration range of 100-500 ppm. The material exhibited a high uptake capacity of 7.13, 0.75, and 0.53 mmol g^-1 for H₂S, SO₂, and NO₂ in wet conditions, respectively. The material was reusable when regenerated simply by soaking the spent oxide in a NaOH-H₂O₂ solution. While the H₂S chemisorption process was accompanied by sulfide, sulfur, and sulfate formation, the SO₂ chemisorption process yielded only sulfate ions. The NO₂ chemisorption process was accomplished by its conversion to nitrite and nitrate ions. Thus, the present work is one of the first reports on alkali ceramic utilization for room-temperature mineralization of acidic gases.

A visible-light-responsive TaON/CdS photocatalytic film with a ZnS passivation layer for highly extraordinary NO2 photodegradation

Recently, TaON has become a promising photoelectrode material in the photocatalytic field owing to its suitable band gap and superior charge carrier transfer ability. In this work, we prepared a TaON/CdS photocatalytic film using a CdS nanoparticle-modified TaON film by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. For the first time, the ZnS nanoparticles were deposited on the TaON/CdS film using the same method. We found that pure TaON had a nanoporous morphology, thus resulting in high specific surface area and better gas adsorption capacity. Furthermore, the TaON/CdS/ZnS film displayed a highly efficient NO2 photodegradation rate under visible light irradiation owing to its stronger visible light response, photocorrosion preventive capacity, and the high separation efficiency of photo-induced electrons and holes. Interestingly, the promising TaON/CdS/ZnS film also possessed remarkable recyclability for NO2 degradation. Therefore, we suggest that the TaON/CdS/ZnS photocatalytic film might be used for the photocatalytic degradation of other pollutants or in other applications. We also put forward the feasible NO2 photocatalytic degradation mechanism for the TaON/CdS/ZnS film. From the schematic diagram, we could further obtain the photo-generated carrier transport process and NO2 photodegradation principle in detail over the ternary photocatalytic film. Moreover, the trapping experiment demonstrates that ·O2 - and h+ all play significant roles in NO2 degradation under visible light irradiation.