The development of efficient photocatalytic routines for producing hydrogen is of great importance as society moves away from energy sources derived from fossil fuels. Recent studies have identified that the addition of metal nanoparticles to TiO2 greatly enhances the photocatalytic performance of these materials towards the reforming of alcohols for hydrogen production. The core-shell structur...

ZnO-CuO nanocomposite thin films were prepared by carbothermal evaporation of ZnO and Cu, combined with annealing. The effects of 90 MeV Ni(7+) ion irradiation on the structural and optical properties of ZnO-CuO nanocomposites were studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. XRD studies...

A series of advanced WO3-based photocatalysts including CuO/WO3, Pd/WO3, and Pt/WO3 were synthesized for the photocatalytic removal of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) under simulated solar light. In the present study, Pt/WO3 exhibited the best performance for the photocatalytic degradation of MC-LR. The MC-LR degradation can be described by pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Chloride ion (Cl-) with prope...

In this study, a novel visible-light-sensitive Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composite photocatalyst was controllably synthesized through a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composite exhibited a perfect nest-like hierarchical microsphere structure, which was constructed by the self-assembly of nanoplates with the assistance of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The growth mechanism of the Bi2WO6/Bi...

A sequential adsorption/photocatalytic regeneration process to remove tartrazine, an azo-dye in aqueous solution, has been investigated. The aim ofthis work was to compare the effectiveness of an adsorbent/photocatalyst composite-TiO2 deposited onto activated carbon (AC) - and a simple mixture of powders of TiO2 and AC in same proportion. The composite was an innovative material as the photocat...

A series of smart window coated multifunctional NIR shielding-photocatalytic films were fabricated successfully through KxWO3 and F-TiO2 in a low-cost and environmentally friendly process. Based on the synergistic effect of KxWO3 and F-TiO2, the optimal proportion of KxWO3 to F-TiO2 was investigated and the FT/2KWO nanocomposite film exhibited strong near-infrared, ultraviolet light shielding a...

In order to utilize visible light in photocatalytic reactions, nitrogen atoms were doped in commercially available photocatalytic TiO2 powders by using an organic compound such as urea and guanidine. Analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that N atoms were incorporated into two different sites of the bulk phase of TiO2. A significant shift of the absorption edge to a lower...

Hydrogen is being intensively investigated as a new energy carrier that stores and transports energy obtained from renewable energy resources (e.g., solar and wind power) to the point of use. In particular, efficient methods that can convert solar energy into hydrogen are being actively sought. One of the ideal methods is solar hydrogen production from water splitting that can be driven by phot...

Semiconductor photocatalysis holds promising keys to address various energy and environmental challenges. Most studies to date are based on ensemble analysis, which may mask critical photocatalytic kinetics in single nanocatalysts. Here we report a study of imaging photocatalytic hydrogen production of single CdS nanoparticles with a plasmonic microscopy in an in operando manner. Surprisingly, ...

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.