In this work, an efficient photocatalyst based on gamma-cyclodextrin-modified titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2/γ-CD NPs) was synthesized and used for photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB). The results of FESEM, EDX, TEM, FT-IR, XRD and BET surface area measurement showed that the TiO2 NPs were effectively modifi...

CuSCN is applied, for the first time, in a photocatalytic system to form CuO/CuSCN valence state heterojunctions, which exhibited enhanced visible light driven photocatalytic activity and, surprisingly, ultraviolet light restrained activity. Proper migration of photo-generated carriers is proposed to explain the photocatalytic process.

We report on the synthesis of TiO2 nanotube (NT) powders using anodic oxidation and ultrasonication. Compared to free-standing NT array films, the powder-type NTs can be easily fabricated in a cost-effective way. Particularly, without the substrate effect arising from underlying Ti metals, highly crystallized NT powders with intact tube structures and pure anatase phase can be obtained using hi...

Semiconductor research has demonstrated the main application in areas such as hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting [1], dye sensitized solar cells [2] and photocatalytic treatment of harmful organics from air and water [3]. Developing of efficient visible light responsive photocatalysts for environmental remediation has become the main area in photocatalysis research becau...

The development of clean and renewable energy materials as alternatives to fossil fuels is foreseen as a potential solution to the crucial problems of environmental pollution and energy shortages. Hydrogen is an ideal energy material for the future, and water splitting using solar/electrical energy is one way to generate hydrogen. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous materials ...

This paper describes the basics of photocatalysis on semiconductors, mainly on TiO2 and the application of photocatalytic processes for water purification from organic and inorganic matter as well as metal removal introduced in order to improve the photocatalytic action of titanium dioxide. The photocatalytic activity of anatase phases of nanocrystalline TiO2 for the degradation of different su...

Disinfection of drinking water is commonly carried out by chlorination, however research has shown this method to be ineffective against certain rotozoan, viral and biofilm forming microorganisms. Furthermore, chlorination can result in the formation of mutagenic disinfection by-products. emiconductor photocatalysis may be a possible alternative to chlorination for point-of-use drinking water d...

The low quantum yields and lack of visible light utilization hinder the practical application of TiO2 in high-performance photocatalysis. Herein, we present a design of TiO2 nanopillar arrays (NPAs) decorated with both Au and Pt nanoparticles (NPs) directly synthesized through successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) at room temperature. Au/Pt NPs with sizes of ~4 nm are well-disper...

Over the past few decades, two-dimensional (2D) and layered materials have emerged as new fields. Due to the zero-band-gap nature of graphene and the low photocatalytic performance of MoS2, more advanced semiconducting 2D materials have been prompted. As a result, semiconductor black phosphorus (BP) is a derived cutting-edge post-graphene contender for nanoelectrical application, because of its...