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...

The recycling of photocatalysts and improving their activities by hybridizing two materials are important. Herein, nanosize ferromagnetic (Ms 1⁄4 62.3 emu g ) CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were embedded into nanosize-assembled BiOX (X 1⁄4 Cl, Br and I) microflowers and examined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy...

This paper reports that the introduction of elemental red phosphorus (RP) into TiO2 can shift the light absorption ability from the UV to the visible region, and confirmed that the optimal RP loading and milling time can effectively improve the visible light driven-photocatalytic activity of TiO2. The resulting RP-TiO2 nanohybrids were characterized systematically by a range of techniques and t...

Photocatalysts show great potential in environmental remediation and water splitting using either artificial or natural light. Titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based photocatalysts are studied most frequently because they are stable, non-toxic, readily available, and highly efficient. However, the relatively wide band gap of TiO2 significantly limits its use under visible light or solar light. We herein...

A series of N-doped anatase TiO2 samples have been prepared using a solvothermal method in an organic amine/ethanol–water reaction system. The effects of different starting N : Ti atomic ratios on the catalysts structure, surface property and catalytic activity have been investigated. The photocatalytic activity and stability of the N-doped TiO2 samples were evaluated through using the decompos...

In this paper, a Cu, N co-doped TiO2 nanosheet with increased visible light photocatalytic activity was successfully synthesized using a biomimetic layer-by-layer deposition process. The polymer, branched-polyethyleneimine (b-PEI) was used as an induction agent for the hydrolysis of titanium bis(ammonium lactato)-dihydroxide (Ti-BALDH) as well as for a nitrogen resource, and the graphene oxide ...

A hybrid organo-silica sol was used as a binder for reinforcing of commercial titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Evonic P25) deposited on glass substrates. The organo-silica binder was prepared by the sol-gel process and mixtures of titania nanoparticles with the binder in various ratios were deposited by materials printing technique. Patterns with both positive and negative features down to 100 µ...

We have explored the impact of the incorporation of nanoporous carbons as additives to tungsten oxide on the photocatalytic degradation of two recalcitrant pollutants: rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol, under simulated solar light. For this purpose, WO3/ carbon mixtures were prepared using three carbon materials with different properties (in terms of porosity, structural order and surface chemistry)...

A novel scaly Sn3O4/TiO2 nanobelt heterostructured photocatalyst was fabricated via a facile hydrothermal route. The scaly Sn3O4 nanoflakes can be synthesized in situ and assembled on surface coarsened TiO2 nanobelts through a hydrothermal process. The morphology and distribution of Sn3O4 nanoflakes can be well-controlled by simply tuning the Sn/Ti molar ratio of the reactants. Compared with si...

SiO(2) pillared layered titanate (SiO(2)-H(2)Ti(4)O(9)) was prepared via intercalating organosilanes into the interlayers of the layered K(2)Ti(4)O(9) followed by calcination at 500 degrees C. The resulting materials were characterized using XRD, N(2) adsorption-desorption isotherms, UV-vis spectra, IR spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of SiO(2)-H(2)Ti(4)O(9) was ...