Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution by combining water soluble graphene with cobalt salts

• Jing Wang,
• Ke Feng,
• Hui-Hui Zhang,
• Bin Chen,
• Zhi-Jun Li,
• Qing-Yuan Meng,
• Li-Ping Zhang,
• Chen-Ho Tung and
• Li-Zhu Wu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1167–1174, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.128

• ) in 4 h with respect to the initial concentration of the added cobalt salts was shown to be 5.6 times larger than that without graphene. Keywords: cobalt salts; earth-abundant catalyst; photocatalysis; photocatalytic hydrogen evolution; water-dispersible sulfonated-graphene; Introduction

Photocatalysis

• Rong Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1071–1072, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.119

• Rong Xu School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637459 10.3762/bjnano.5.119 Keywords: photocatalysis; Finding long-term solutions to meet the growing energy demands of the human society is one of the greatest challenges of our

• age. Photocatalysis, a topic of many decades of attention, has recently received renewed and more intense interest in developing innovative solutions towards achieving our sustainability goal. Though immensely inspired by natural photosynthesis, the research on artificial photosynthesis is still in

• , two review articles present an excellent overview of the significance of nanostructures in visible light photocatalysis in a timely manner. Many materials aspects of photocatalysts influence the photocatalytic performance, such as the electronic, structural, and morphological features of the

DFT study of binding and electron transfer from colorless aromatic pollutants to a TiO₂ nanocluster: Application to photocatalytic degradation under visible light irradiation

• Corneliu I. Oprea,
• Petre Panait and
• Mihai A. Gîrţu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1016–1030, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.115

• what makes possible the photocatalysis under visible light irradiation. In order to better understand why this red-shift takes place, it is useful to plot the densities of states for all adsorbed pollutants. But before that we take a more careful look at Figure 7. The first (low energy/high wavelength

Functionalized nanostructures for enhanced photocatalytic performance under solar light

• Liejin Guo,
• Dengwei Jing,
• Maochang Liu,
• Yubin Chen,
• Shaohua Shen,
• Jinwen Shi and
• Kai Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 994–1004, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.113

• nanoscale, i.e., materials with the same compositions but different phases with certain band alignment. We conclude this review with perspectives on nanostructure design that might direct future research of this technology. Keywords: functionalized nanostructures; hydrogen; photocatalysis; photocatalytic

Growth and characterization of CNT–TiO₂ heterostructures

• Yucheng Zhang,
• Ivo Utke,
• Johann Michler,
• Gabriele Ilari,
• Marta D. Rossell and
• Rolf Erni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 946–955, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.108

• -effectively and environmentally friendly, is a good candidate for electrochemical photocatalysis [6], recent research shows that its limited absorption of only the UV part of the sunlight spectrum can be extended to visible light when forming a nanocomposite with CNTs [7][8][9]. This can significantly

• increase the efficiency of electrochemical photocatalysis, and benefits largely in areas such as acquiring sustainable energy and preventing environmental pollution. In this context, this paper reviews growth of metal and/or metal oxide particles on CNTs and the characterisation by using analytical

• transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques with a focus on the TiO2–CNT material system. The mechanisms of efficiency enhancement for photocatalysis by using the ensemble are reviewed. Methods to fabricate nanocomposites consisting of CNTs and metal/metal oxides are surveyed. In particular, an atomic

Optical modeling-assisted characterization of dye-sensitized solar cells using TiO₂ nanotube arrays as photoanodes

• Jung-Ho Yun,
• Il Ku Kim,
• Yun Hau Ng,
• Lianzhou Wang and
• Rose Amal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 895–902, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.102

• ) revealed that the amount of dye and TNT lengths were critical factors influencing the performance of DSSCs, which is consistent with the experimental results. Keywords: charge generation; dye-sensitized solar cells; generalized transfer matrix method; optical process; photocatalysis; TiO2 nanotubes

Enhancement of photocatalytic H₂ evolution of eosin Y-sensitized reduced graphene oxide through a simple photoreaction

• Weiying Zhang,
• Yuexiang Li,
• Shaoqin Peng and
• Xiang Cai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 801–811, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.92

• ; graphene oxide; H2 evolution; photocatalysis; photoreduction; sp2 conjugated domains; Introduction Hydrogen is an efficient and green energy carrier. Photocatalytic water splitting into hydrogen by means of solar energy and semiconductor photocatalysts is a environmentally friendly way to produce storable

Biomolecule-assisted synthesis of carbon nitride and sulfur-doped carbon nitride heterojunction nanosheets: An efficient heterojunction photocatalyst for photoelectrochemical applications

• Hua Bing Tao,
• Hong Bin Yang,
• Jiazang Chen,
• Jianwei Miao and
• Bin Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 770–777, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.89

• : graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4); heterojunction; photoelectrochemical; photocatalysis; sulfur doping; Introduction Over the past few years, graphitic carbon nitride (CN) has attracted significant research attention in visible-light-driven photocatalysis because of its unique physical and chemical

Visible light photooxidative performance of a high-nuclearity molecular bismuth vanadium oxide cluster

• Johannes Tucher and
• Carsten Streb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 711–716, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.83

• turnover numbers (TON ca. 1200) and turnover frequencies up to TOF ca. 3.44 min−1 are observed, illustrating the practical applicability of the cluster species. Keywords: photocatalysis; photooxidation; polyoxometalate; self-assembly; vanadium oxide; Introduction The bottom-up self-assembly of molecular

Nanostructure sensitization of transition metal oxides for visible-light photocatalysis

• Hongjun Chen and
• Lianzhou Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 696–710, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.82

• photocatalysts has recently attracted a lot of interest. The photosensitization of transition metal oxides is a promising approach for achieving effective visible-light photocatalysis. This review article primarily discusses the recent progress in the realm of a variety of nanostructured photosensitizers such as

• dots; transition metal oxides; visible-light photocatalysis; Introduction In response to the decreasing supply of fossil fuels and the environmental problems caused by their exploitation, the search for a renewable and sustainable energy supply has been intensified in the past decades. Solar energy is

• clean and abundant, yet its utilization is still very low. There is a strong need for scientists to develop a sustainable and cost-effective manner for harvesting solar energy to satisfy the growing energy demand of the world with a minimal environmental impact. Photocatalysis plays an important role

A visible-light-driven composite photocatalyst of TiO₂ nanotube arrays and graphene quantum dots

• Donald K. L. Chan,
• Po Ling Cheung and
• Jimmy C. Yu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 689–695, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.81

• light irradiation. Keywords: anodic oxidation; graphene quantum dots; photocatalyst; photodegradation; TiO2 nanotube arrays; Introduction Semiconductor-mediated photocatalysis is a promising technique for the conversion of solar energy as well as degradation of organic pollutants in air and water [1

• suppressed because of the one-dimensional nature of the tubes [8]. Moreover, nanotube layers do have higher surface area for more active reaction sites over the bulk nanoparticle layers [9] and they were shown to be more efficient in photocatalysis [10]. Since TNAs can be grown directly on a conducting Ti

• visible-light-driven photocatalysis [35][36]. Very recently, the combination of GQDs with CdS-modified TNAs was reported for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production. However, GQDs did not enhance the activity of bare TNAs in the study [37]. GQDs have also been chemically coupled with ZnO nanowires for

Effects of the preparation method on the structure and the visible-light photocatalytic activity of Ag₂CrO₄

• Difa Xu,
• Shaowen Cao,
• Jinfeng Zhang,
• Bei Cheng and
• Jiaguo Yu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 658–666, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.77

• . Considering the universalities of microemulsion, precipitation, and hydrothermal methods, this work may also provide a prototype for the comparative study of semiconductor based photocatalysis for water purification and environmental remediation. Keywords: microemulsion method; nanoparticles; photocatalysis

• ; photocatalytic activity; silver chromate; visible-light-driven; Introduction Semiconductor photocatalysis has been considered as a potential solution to the worldwide energy shortage and for counteracting environmental degradation [1][2][3][4][5]. Numerous efforts have been made to develop efficient and stable

• corresponding colour of Ag2CrO4 after five circles of photocatalytic reaction is displayed in Figure 9d. It was found that the absorbance intensity in the visible-light region largely increased, which could be ascribed to the darkened colour of Ag2CrO4 after photocatalysis, resulting from the silver

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag–ZnO hybrid plasmonic nanostructures prepared by a facile wet chemical method

• Sini Kuriakose,
• Vandana Choudhary,
• Biswarup Satpati and
• Satyabrata Mohapatra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 639–650, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.75

• photocatalytic degradation efficiency, which has been found to increase with the extent of Ag nanoparticle loading. Keywords: Ag–ZnO; hybrid plasmonic nanostructures; photocatalysis; Introduction The removal of hazardous materials such as dyes and organic compounds from waste water has attracted ever

• increasing attention over the years. Semiconductor photocatalysis is one of the most important technologies used for the complete mineralization of a wide range of organic dyes and toxic chemicals. ZnO, a wide band gap semiconductor with large excitonic binding energy is suitable for diverse applications

• of their recombination rate [19]. Secondly, noble metal nanoparticles on ZnO exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption of light which can have significant impact on semiconductor photocatalysis. The LSPR wavelength of noble metal nanoparticles can be tuned from near UV to the

Artificial sunlight and ultraviolet light induced photo-epoxidation of propylene over V-Ti/MCM-41 photocatalyst

• Van-Huy Nguyen,
• Shawn D. Lin,
• Jeffrey Chi-Sheng Wu and
• Hsunling Bai

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 566–576, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.67

• tested in this study. Keywords: artificial sunlight; light irradiation effects; photo-epoxidation; ultraviolet (UV) light; V-Ti/MCM-41 photocatalyst; Introduction It is agreed that light, especially its wavelength spectrum and intensity, is a crucial factor for efficient photocatalysis. A

• photocatalytic reaction occurs only when the illumination with light enables the generation of highly reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals (OH•) and oxy radicals (O•) [1]. The light intensity in photocatalysis has attracted considerable attention. The positive effect of increasing the light intensity on

• photocatalysis process is under debate, and both the intensity and the exposure time to light irradiation need to be considered [4][10]. In the photo-decomposition of organic species and the inactivation of bacteria under ultraviolet sources (UV-A and UV-C), low-intensity light with long exposure times resulted

Mesoporous cerium oxide nanospheres for the visible-light driven photocatalytic degradation of dyes

• Subas K. Muduli,
• Songling Wang,
• Shi Chen,
• Chin Fan Ng,
• Cheng Hon Alfred Huan,
• Tze Chien Sum and
• Han Sen Soo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 517–523, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.60

• , suggesting that the mechanism of photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation involves predominantly hydroxyl radicals as the active species. Keywords: cerium oxide; dye degradation; mesoporous; photocatalysis; visible light; Introduction The degradation of organic pollutants by affordable and

• and solar energy absorption processes by providing higher surface areas and more effective charge separation in semiconductor materials on the nanoscale. In fact, the commercially available Degussa P25 mixed-phase TiO2 is commonly employed as a benchmark in photocatalysis for applications ranging from

Applicability and costs of nanofiltration in combination with photocatalysis for the treatment of dye house effluents

• Wolfgang M. Samhaber and
• Minh Tan Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 476–484, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.55

• Nanofiltration (NF) is a capable method for the separation of dyes, which can support and even improve the applicability of photocatalysis in effluent-treatment processes. The membrane process usually will need a special pre-treatment to avoid precipitation and fouling on the membrane surface. Conceptually NF

• prove the usefulness of those concepts. Different applications of photocatalysis on the lab-scale have been published in recent years. Membrane technology is used almost in all those processes and an overview will be given of those recently published systems that have been reported to be potentially

• usefully adjusted and designed plants range from 1 to 6 US$/m3 treated effluent. Combination concepts will have a good precondition for further development and upscaling, if the NF costs discussed here in detail will be, together with the costs of photocatalysis, economically acceptable. Keywords: dye

Dye-sensitized Pt@TiO₂ core–shell nanostructures for the efficient photocatalytic generation of hydrogen

• Jun Fang,
• Lisha Yin,
• Shaowen Cao,
• Yusen Liao and
• Can Xue

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 360–364, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.41

• particle bridge. Keywords: charge transfer; dye-sensitization; photocatalysis; photocatalyst; solar fuels; water splitting; Introduction Since Honda and Fujishima reported the effective hydrogen evolution from water splitting by a TiO2 and Pt electrode in a photoelectrochemical cell in the early 1970s [1

Preparation of NiS/ZnIn₂S₄ as a superior photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation

• Liang Wei,
• Yongjuan Chen,
• Jialin Zhao and
• Zhaohui Li

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 949–955, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.107

• Liang Wei Yongjuan Chen Jialin Zhao Zhaohui Li Research Institute of Photocatalysis, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis–State Key Laboratory Breeding Base, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China 10.3762/bjnano.4.107 Abstract In this study, NiS/ZnIn2S4 nanocomposites were

• loading amount of 0.5 wt %. This work demonstrates a high potential of the developing of environmental friendly, cheap noble-metal-free co-catalyst for semiconductor-based photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Keywords: co-catalyst; hydrogen evolution; NiS; photocatalytic; photocatalysis; visible light

Structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of flower-like ZnO nanostructures prepared by a facile wet chemical method

• Sini Kuriakose,
• Neha Bhardwaj,
• Jaspal Singh,
• Biswarup Satpati and
• Satyabrata Mohapatra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 763–770, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.87

• efficiency to photocatalytically degrade of MB. Keywords: ageing; nanoparticles; nanosheets; photocatalysis; ZnO; Introduction Water contamination due to hazardous water soluble organic dyes and chemicals poses a severe threat to the environment. The excess azo dyes in effluents from textile and dyeing

• treatment, these azo dyes may generate carcinogenic compounds such as aromatic amines. Because of this, purification and detoxification of industrial waste water has been one of the major challenges. Several methods such as adsorption, filtration, sedimentation and photocatalysis are used for the removal of

• synthesized by Umar et al. [31] for an efficient photocatalysis and the fabrication of efficient dye sensitized solar cells. Shi et al. [33] fabricated flower-like ZnO on ZnO nanorods without use of any surfactant. Self-supported ZnO photocatalysts in the form of plates were prepared by Yassitepe et al. [24

Modulation of defect-mediated energy transfer from ZnO nanoparticles for the photocatalytic degradation of bilirubin

• Tanujjal Bora,
• Karthik K. Lakshman,
• Soumik Sarkar,
• Abhinandan Makhal,
• Samim Sardar,
• Samir K. Pal and
• Joydeep Dutta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 714–725, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.81

• 10.3762/bjnano.4.81 Abstract In recent years, nanotechnology has gained significant interest for applications in the medical field. In this regard, a utilization of the ZnO nanoparticles for the efficient degradation of bilirubin (BR) through photocatalysis was explored. BR is a water insoluble byproduct

• ; Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET); neonatal jaundice; oxygen vacancy; photocatalysis; phototherapy; zinc oxide nanoparticles; Introduction Bilirubin (BR) is a yellow-orange pigment which is a byproduct of the normal heme catabolism in mammals. In the human body, 250–400 mg BR is produced every day

• the numerous nanostructured materials, zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most promising materials for applications in the medical field, because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability and non-toxicity [9]. Moreover, ZnO can degrade various organic compounds efficiently through photocatalysis [10][11

Photocatalytic antibacterial performance of TiO₂ and Ag-doped TiO₂ against S. aureus. P. aeruginosa and E. coli

• Kiran Gupta,
• R. P. Singh,
• Ashutosh Pandey and
• Anjana Pandey

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 345–351, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.40

• photocatalysis efficiency of TiO2 and Ag-doped TiO2 was tested by the percentage viability reduction of bacterial colonies under visible-light irradiation. The viability of P. aeruginosa was reduced to zero at 40 mg/30 mL culture of Ag-doped TiO2 (7%) while S. aureus and E. coli showed zero viability at 60 mg/30

Paper modified with ZnO nanorods – antimicrobial studies

• Mayuree Jaisai,
• Sunandan Baruah and
• Joydeep Dutta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 684–691, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.78

• the paper samples are 102% and 70%, and for Aspergillus niger, 224% and 183% of the sample area, under similar lighting conditions. Keywords: antimicrobial; nanorod; paper; photocatalysis; zinc oxide; Introduction Deterioration of library materials due to fungal growth is a worldwide problem and a

• various applications, such as facemasks, tissues, wallpapers and writing paper. The antimicrobial effect of the ZnO nanorods grown on the paper matrix results from the slow seepage of Zn2+ ions assisted by atmospheric humidity or through the injection of free electrons resulting from photocatalysis [7][8

• ]. Cellulose fibers used for papermaking are hygroscopic in nature [9][10] and this property was used to our advantage when developing the antimicrobial paper. The adsorbed moisture can be utilized for the production of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and/or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) through photocatalysis. Both ·OH

Mesoporous MgTa₂O₆ thin films with enhanced photocatalytic activity: On the interplay between crystallinity and mesostructure

• Jin-Ming Wu,
• Igor Djerdj,
• Till von Graberg and
• Bernd M. Smarsly

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 123–133, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.13

• -developed mesostructure. It has been often stated that the performance of mesoporous metal oxides requires both features to be optimized at the same time, but to the best of our knowledge no systematic study has been performed in the field of photocatalysis. Various oxides with high crystallization

• temperatures above 760 °C. Such an advanced mesostructure can be achieved by special block copolymers such as KLE or polymers of the poly(isobutylene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) type, which show similar properties in terms of structure and photocatalysis (see Supporting Information File 1). With increasing

Self-assembled monolayers and titanium dioxide: From surface patterning to potential applications

• Yaron Paz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 845–861, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.94

• areas of photovoltaics, microelectronics, microelectromechanics, photocatalysis, corrosion prevention and even biomedicine should be regarded as appetizers paving the way for further studies to be performed. Keywords: photocatalysis; remote degradation; self-assembled monolayers; titanium dioxide

• often observed both in the liquid phase and in the gas phase, suggesting, albeit not proving [11][12] the need for adsorption as a prerequisite for photocatalysis. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) being chemisorbed in an ordered manner on surfaces such as metals (Au, Ag), oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2) and

• many ways, from the study of fundamental issues in TiO2 photocatalysis to the growth of supramolecular structures; from serving as a tool for patterning to suggesting means to obtain the selective photocatalytic degradation of highly toxic contaminants. This potential for synergism between self

Approaches to nanostructure control and functionalizations of polymer@silica hybrid nanograss generated by biomimetic silica mineralization on a self-assembled polyamine layer

• Jian-Jun Yuan and
• Ren-Hua Jin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 760–773, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.84

• that the photocatalysis-active anatase titania component in the silica@titania composite nanograss surface plays a vital role in the induction of the change of surface wettability, from a superhydrophobic to a superhydrophilic state. Conclusion In summary, we have successfully demonstrated that the