The Promoting Effect of Ti on the Catalytic Performance of V-Ti-HMS Catalysts in the Selective Oxidation of Methanol

The effects of Ti modification on the structural properties and catalytic performance of vanadia on hexagonal mesoporous silica (V-HMS) catalysts are studied for selective methanol-to-dimethoxymethane oxidation. Characterizations including N2 adsorption–desorption (SBET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS UV-Vis), Micro-Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) were carried out to investigate the property and structure of the catalysts. The results show that Ti can be successfully incorporated into the HMS framework in a wide range of Si/Ti ratios from 50 to 10. Ti modification can effectively improve the distribution of vanadium species and thus enhance the overall redox properties and catalytic performance of the catalysts. The catalytic activity of the V-Ti-HMS catalysts with the Si/Ti ratio of 30 is approximately two times higher than that of V-HMS catalysts with comparable selectivity. The enhanced activity exhibited by the V-Ti-HMS catalyst is attributed to the improved dispersion and reducibility of vanadium oxides.

Sustainable materials in the removal of pesticides from contaminated water: Perspective on macro to nanoscale cellulose

Recently, over utilization of pesticides in agrarian and non- agrarian sectors has resulted in a significant increment in the deposition of their remnants in different segments of the environmental media. The presence of pesticides and transportation of their different metabolites in rivers, ponds, lakes, soils, air, groundwater sources and drinkable water sources has demonstrated a high threat to human wellbeing and the climate. Thus, the removal of pesticides and their metabolites from contaminated water is imperative to lessen the ill effects of pesticides on human beings. In the present article, we have appraised recent advances in pesticides removal utilizing low cost pristine and functionalized cellulose biomass-based derivatives. One of the key focus has been on better understand the destiny of pesticides in the environment as well as their behaviour in the water. In addition, the impact of magnetite cellulose nanocomposites, cellulose derived photo nano-catalyst, cellulose/clay nano composites, CdS/cellulose nanocomposites and activated carbons/biochar on percent removal of pesticides have also been a part of the current review. The impact of different parameters such as adsorbent dosage, pH, time of contact and initials pesticide concentration on adsorption capacity and adsorption kinetics followed during absorption by different cellulosic bio-adsorbents has also been given. The cellulosic biomass is highly efficient in the removal of pesticides and their efficiency further increases upon functionalization or their conversion into activated carbons forms. Nano particles loaded cellulosic materials have in general found to be less efficient than raw, functionalized cellulosic materials and activated carbons. Further, among different nano particles loaded with cellulose-based materials, cellulose/MnO₂ photonanocatalyst were noticed to be more effective. So considerable efforts should be given to determine the finest practices that relate to the dissipation of different pesticides from the water.

Exposed (002) facets and controllable thickness of CdS nanobelts drive desirable hydrogen-adsorption free energy (ΔGH) for boosting visible-light photocatalytic performance

The strategies of exposed CdS (002) facets and controllable thickness lead to a desirable value for ΔGH, which can improve the CdS photocatalytic activity.

UiO-66(Ti)-Fe3O4-WO3 photocatalyst for efficient ammonia degradation from wastewater into continuous flow-loop thin film slurry flat-plate photoreactor

This work presents the characterization of novel synthesized UiO-66(Ti)-Fe₃O₄-WO₃ magnetic photocatalyst and investigates their photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of ammonia in a designed continuous flow-loop thin-film slurry flat-plate photoreactor (TFSR). Excellent ammonia degradation efficiency was achieved in the presence of the synthesized catalyst at ambient conditions using no more reactive oxidant species. Several independent variables involving catalyst mass, flowrate, pH, irradiation time and initial ammonia concentration as well as corresponding experiments were analyzed and design using the central composite design (CCD). The influence and significance of each parameter and their binary interactions were then evaluated by applying the analysis of variance. The ammonia degradation efficiency of 91.80 % with the desirability of 0.903 were obtained at optimum values of operational parameters including 550 mL/min,10, 0.125 g/L, 60 min and 30 mg/L for solution flowrate, pH, catalyst mass, irradiation time and initial ammonia concentration, respectively. Furthermore, the liquid phase products of ammonia degradation such as nitrate and nitrite ions were completely removed, and purified water was produced using the combination of reverse osmosis process and mixed resins beds. The photocatalyst mechanism study revealed that [Formula: see text] was the predominant reactive oxygen species in the ammonia photodegradation.

Enhanced light harvesting ability in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks through energy transfer from CdS nanowires

We report the enhanced light harvesting ability of ZIF-67 through efficient energy transfer from CdS nanowires to ZIF-67.

Solar Fuels by Heterogeneous Photocatalysis: From Understanding Chemical Bases to Process Development

The development of sustainable yet efficient technologies to store solar light into high energy molecules, such as hydrocarbons and hydrogen, is a pivotal challenge in 21st century society. In the field of photocatalysis, a wide variety of chemical routes can be pursued to obtain solar fuels but the two most promising are carbon dioxide photoreduction and photoreforming of biomass-derived substrates. Despite their great potentialities, these technologies still need to be improved to represent a reliable alternative to traditional fuels, in terms of both catalyst design and photoreactor engineering. This review highlights the chemical fundamentals of different photocatalytic reactions for solar fuels production and provides a mechanistic insight on proposed reaction pathways. Also, possible cutting-edge strategies to obtain solar fuels are reported, focusing on how the chemical bases of the investigated reaction affect experimental choices.

CdS/Zr:Fe2 O3 Nanorod Arrays with Al2 O3 Passivation Layer for Photoelectrochemical Solar Hydrogen Generation

CdS-sensitized 1 D Zr:Fe₂ O₃ nanorod arrays were synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates by a two-step hydrothermal method. The photoelectrochemical results demonstrate that the current density (4.2 mA cm^-2 at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl) recorded under illumination for the CdS/1 D Zr:Fe₂ O₃ photoanodes is 2.8 time higher than the bare 1 D Zr:Fe₂ O₃ . The extended absorbance spectrum, the reduced recombination, and the effective transport of photogenerated holes in CdS to the electrolyte facilitate enhancement in the photoelectrochemical performance. From X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and TEM observations of the bare and aluminum oxide-treated CdS/1 D Zr:Fe₂ O₃ photoanodes, we could confirm that the 1 D Zr:Fe₂ O₃ nanorods were covered by the CdS layer and Al₂ O₃ layer present on surface of CdS. Furthermore, the photocurrent and stability of the CdS/1 D Zr:Fe₂ O₃ nanorods was significantly enhanced by Al₂ O₃ compared to bare CdS/1 D Zr:Fe₂ O₃ heterojunction owing to its ability to act as an effective holetransport- as well as photocorrosion-protecting layer. These remarkable enhancements in light-energy harvesting, improvement in charge transport, and stability directly suggest the usefulness of photoanodes for solar hydrogen generation.

Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light by ternary composite CdS@NU-1000/RGO

CdS@NU-1000 and CdS@NU-1000/1%RGO exhibit 9.35 and 12.1 times higher photocatalytic activities than commercial CdS under visible light, respectively.

Titania Composites with 2 D Transition Metal Carbides as Photocatalysts for Hydrogen Production under Visible-Light Irradiation

MXenes, a family of two-dimensional transition-metal carbides, were successfully demonstrated as co-catalysts with rutile TiO2 for visible-light-induced solar hydrogen production from water splitting. The physicochemical properties of Ti3 C2 Tx MXene coupled with TiO2 were investigated by a variety of characterization techniques. The effect of the Ti3 C2 Tx loading on the photocatalytic performance of the TiO2 /Ti3 C2 Tx composites was elucidated. With an optimized Ti3 C2 Tx content of 5 wt %, the TiO2 /Ti3 C2 Tx composite shows a 400 % enhancement in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction compared with that of pure rutile TiO2 . We also expanded our exploration to other MXenes (Nb2 CTx and Ti2 CTx ) as co-catalysts coupled with TiO2 , and these materials also exhibited enhanced hydrogen production. These results manifest the generality of MXenes as effective co-catalysts for solar hydrogen production.

Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution system by assembling earth abundant NixOy nanoclusters in cubic MCM-48 mesoporous materials

A MCM-48 mesoporous support containing NiO and Ni₂O₃ nanoclusters exhibit high activity for photocatalytic hydrogen production in comparison to NiO.

Core-Shell Structural CdS@SnO₂ Nanorods with Excellent Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity for the Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol to Benzaldehyde

Core-shell structural CdS@SnO2 nanorods (NRs) were fabricated by synthesizing SnO2 nanoparticles with a solvent-assisted interfacial reaction and further anchoring them on the surface of CdS NRs under ultrasonic stirring. The morphology, composition, and microstructures of the obtained samples were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. It was found that SnO2 nanoparticles can be tightly anchored on the surface of CdS NRs, and the thickness of SnO2 shells can be conveniently adjusted by simply changing the addition amount of SnO2 quantum dots. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrum indicated that SnO2 shell layer also can enhance the visible light absorption of CdS NRs to a certain extent. The results of transient photocurrents and photoluminescence spectra revealed that the core-shell structure can effectively promote the separation rate of electron-hole pairs and prolong the lifetime of electrons. Compared with the single CdS NRs, the core-shell structural CdS@SnO2 exhibited a remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol (BA) to benzaldehyde (BAD) under visible light irradiation, attributed to the more efficient separation of electrons and holes, improved surface area, and enhanced visible light absorption of core-shell structure. The radical scavenging experiments proved that in acetonitrile solution, ·O2- and holes are the main reactive species responsible for BA to BAD transformation, and the lack of ·OH radicals is favorable to obtaining high reaction selectivity.

Nanocomposite heterojunctions as sunlight-driven photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water splitting

Hydrogen production via photocatalytic water splitting using sunlight has enormous potential in solving the worldwide energy and environmental crisis. The key challenge in this process is to develop efficient photocatalysts which must satisfy several criteria such as high chemical and photochemical stability, effective charge separation and strong sunlight absorption. The combination of different semiconductors to create composite materials offers a promising way to achieve efficient photocatalysts because doing so can improve the charge separation, light absorption and stability of the photocatalysts. In this review article, we summarized the most recent studies on semiconductor composites for hydrogen production under visible light irradiation. After a general introduction about the photocatalysis phenomenon, typical heterojunctions of widely studied heterogeneous semiconductors, including titanium dioxide, cadmium sulfide and graphitic carbon nitride are discussed in detail.

Hierarchical CdS nanostructure by Lawesson's reagent and its enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

Lawesson's reagent (LR) has been effectively exploited for the synthesis of hierarchical architectures of cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanostructures for the first time.

Bubble template synthesis of Sn2Nb2O7 hollow spheres for enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production

Hierarchical Sn2Nb2O7 hollow spheres were prepared for the first time via a facile hydrothermal route using bubbles generated in situ from the decomposition of urea as soft templates. The as-obtained hollow spheres with a large specific surface area of 58.3 m(2) g(-1) show improved visible-light-driven photocatalytic H2 production activity in lactic acid aqueous solutions, about 4 times higher than that of the bulk Sn2Nb2O7 sample prepared by a conventional high temperature solid state reaction method.

A novel phase-mixed MgTiO3-MgTi2O5 heterogeneous nanorod for high efficiency photocatalytic hydrogen production

A phase-mixed MgTiO3-MgTi2O5 heterogeneous nanorod is fabricated via an ethylene glycol-mediated route to promote the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity significantly. The excellent charge separation and fast electron transport are the main reasons for the high efficiency due to the formation of phase-mixed heterogeneous junctions.

Perfect inhibition of CdS photocorrosion by graphene sheltering engineering on TiO2 nanotube array for highly stable photocatalytic activity

An artful graphene-sheltering engineering has been developed for perfect inhibition of CdS photocorrosion.

One-dimensional CdS/ZnO core/shell nanofibers via single-spinneret electrospinning: tunable morphology and efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production

One dimensional core/shell nanostructures consisting of two different semiconductors with appropriate band alignment are promising for photocatalytic hydrogen production due to their efficient light harvesting and fast carrier transport. In this work, CdS/ZnO core/shell nanofibers were successfully synthesized by one-pot single-spinneret electrospinning. The ZnO layered structures (60 nm in thickness) were uniformly grown onto continuous CdS core fibers (220 nm in diameter and several micrometers in length). The as-fabricated CdS/ZnO core/shell nanofibers as nanoheterojunction photocatalysts exhibited excellent visible light photocatalytic activity and stability for hydrogen production. The possible formation mechanism of the CdS/ZnO core/shell nanofibers was also proposed based on the experimental observations. Moreover, the morphologies and components of the as-prepared nanofibers can be controlled easily by tuning the annealing temperature and Zn/Cd ratios of the precursor solution.