Titania (TiO₂)-based nanocomposites subjected to light excitation are remarkably effective in eliciting microbial death. However, the mechanism by which these materials induce microbial death and the effects that they have on microbes are poorly understood. Here, we assess the low dose radical-mediated TiO₂ photocatalytic action of such nanocomposites and evaluate the genome/proteome-wide expre...

Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation in a suspension system requires a sophisticated nano-device that combines a photon absorber with effective redox catalysts. This study demonstrates an innovative molecular linking strategy for fabricating photocatalytic materials that allow effective charge separation of excited carriers, followed by efficient hydrogen evolution. The method for the s...

Here we present a method to produce TiO2 nanocrystals coated by thin layer of graphitic carbon. The coating process was prepared via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with acetylene used as a carbon feedstock with TiO2 used as a substrate. Different temperatures (400°C and 500°C) and times (10, 20, and 60 s) of reaction were explored. The prepared nanocomposites were investigated by means of tran...

Perovskite-based photocatalysts are of significant interest in the field of photocatalysis. To date, several perovskite material systems have been developed and their applications in visible light photocatalysis studied. This article provides a review of the visible light (λ > 400 nm) active perovskite-based photocatalyst systems. The materials systems are classified by the B site cations and t...

In this paper, we report a UV/ozone-assisted method for low temperature preparation of mesoporous TiO2 with controlled crystalline phase. The results showed that the crystallization of mesoporous TiO2 can occur at temperatures as low as 100 C under UV/ozone irradiation. Highly crystalline mesoporous anatase TiO2 was obtained after UV/ozone treatment at 200 C. The phase transformation from anata...

While photocatalytic water-splitting is a promising alternative energy source, low photocatalytic efficiencies in the visible spectrum hinders its widespread deployment and commercialization. Although screening combinations of new materials and characterizing their reaction kinetics offers possible improvements to efficiency, current experiments are challenged by expensive bulky setups and slow...

Scalable and sustainable solar hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting requires highly active and stable earth-abundant co-catalysts to replace expensive and rare platinum. Here we employ density functional theory calculations to direct atomic-level exploration, design and fabrication of a MXene material, Ti3C2 nanoparticles, as a highly efficient co-catalyst. Ti3C2 nanoparti...

The one-step synthesis of oleic acid-coated TiO2 nanoparticles with visible light-driven photocatalytic activity was reported by this manuscript, using oleic acid-ethanol as crucial starting materials. The photocatalytic degradation of nitrogen monoxide (deNOx) in the gas phase was investigated in a continuous reactor using a series of TiO2 semiconductors, prepared from oleic acid- or acetic ac...

Cerium-rich metal oxide materials have recently emerged as promising candidates for the photocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this article, we report the synthesis of ordered mesoporous CuO/CeO₂ composite frameworks with different contents of copper(II) oxide and demonstrate their activity for photocatalytic O₂ production via UV-Vis light-driven oxidation of water. Mesoporous CuO/C...

Water pollution is a growing environmental issue which severely threatens human health. Consequently, development of novel materials for water purification and waste treatment is an important research topic. Functional nanomaterials exhibiting photocatalytic properties, along with a very high surface area, have been widely investigated, since these nanostructures are quite effective in the degr...