Nanomaterials for photocatalysis and applications in environmental remediation and renewable energy

• Viet Van Pham and
• Wee-Jun Ong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 722–724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.58

• ]. Semiconducting photocatalyst nanomaterials, such as SnO2, TiO2, MoS2, g-C3N4, and Bi-nanostructures have been proven efficient for a range of applications, including organic pollutant removal, NOx degradation, renewable energy production, and waste-to-energy conversion [15][17][18]. Figure 1 shows a general

Titania nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of ethanol under simulated solar light

• Evghenii Goncearenco,
• Iuliana P. Morjan,
• Claudiu Teodor Fleaca,
• Florian Dumitrache,
• Elena Dutu,
• Monica Scarisoreanu,
• Valentin Serban Teodorescu,
• Alexandra Sandulescu,
• Crina Anastasescu and
• Ioan Balint

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 616–630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.51

• gas production has been detected for the samples from series “b”, whereas the CO2 evolution was observed for all samples from series “a”. Keywords: ethanol; H2 production; laser pyrolysis; photocatalyst; TiO2 nanoparticles; Introduction Semiconductor materials are widely used, from electronic

• fluorescent compound, namely umbelliferone, was monitored with a Carry Eclipse fluorescence spectrometer, slits set to 10 nm in excitation and emission, λexc = 330 nm. The experimental procedure for photocatalytic tests started with dispersing a uniform layer of 0.01 g of titania photocatalyst nanopowder on

Plasmonic nanotechnology for photothermal applications – an evaluation

• A. R. Indhu,
• L. Keerthana and
• Gnanaprakash Dharmalingam

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 380–419, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.33

Bismuth-based nanostructured photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotics and organic dyes

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo and
• Faisal Suleiman Mustafa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 291–321, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.26

• inactivate pathogens. The term “photocatalysis” refers to chemical reactions that use light and a photocatalyst (basically a semiconductor). A few of the requirements that an effective photocatalyst system should satisfy include high sunlight absorption, an appropriate gap (1.5–2.8 eV), long-term charge

• carrier separation, high photo-transporter mobility, appropriate physical and chemical properties, sufficient band alignment to meet the kinetic requirements of the target reaction, and anti-corrosion stability in reactive environments [18][19][20]. Figure 1 depicts the mechanism of the photocatalyst. In

• pair (e− and h+) on the surface of the photocatalyst. Three possibilities exist at this point: (a) The generated charge carriers recombine and generate heat, (b) the generated interfacial charge carriers simultaneously reduce and oxidise contaminants, or (c) the generated charge carrier and an electron

Non-stoichiometric magnetite as catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of phenol and 2,6-dibromo-4-methylphenol – a new approach in water treatment

• Joanna Kisała,
• Anna Tomaszewska and
• Przemysław Kolek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1531–1540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.126

• the available electrons, and, as a result, bromide ions can be released. The results confirm that magnetite is an effective photocatalyst in the degradation of halogenated aromatic pollutants. Keywords: magnetite; ozonolysis; persistent organic pollutants; photocatalysis; water treatment

• solar radiation as an energy source [11]. The photocatalysts are activated by radiation and produce highly reactive photo-induced charge carriers, which can react with the contaminants adsorbed on the surface of the catalyst. Understanding the properties of the photocatalyst material is critical to

• designing an effective photocatalytic process. The factors that influence photocatalytic efficiency include the photocatalyst bandwidth, the recombination rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, the use of solar energy, and problems with catalyst degradation. Magnetite is a common auxiliary mineral in

A TiO₂@MWCNTs nanocomposite photoanode for solar-driven water splitting

• Anh Quynh Huu Le,
• Ngoc Nhu Thi Nguyen,
• Hai Duy Tran,
• Van-Huy Nguyen and
• Le-Hai Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1520–1530, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.125

• reactions. As a wide-bandgap (ca. 3.2 eV) semiconductor, TiO2 is a promising photocatalyst for degrading a massive range of high-molecular-weight organic pollutants under UV radiation [1]. Because of high specific surface, nanoscale TiO2 as grains or tubes can absorb UV light more substantially than

• mesoscale TiO2 [2][3]. This results in an improvement of the photon efficiency of TiO2 nanoparticles. Reducing the dimension of the photocatalyst favors not only a bandgap shift to the visible-light region but, unfortunately, also the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes (e−/h+), which limits

• ) conversion efficiency of TiO2-based photoanodes (0.2–0.42%) is lower than that of TiO2/CNT anodes (4.4%), which is attributed to a wider bandgap of the TiO2 photocatalyst and the lesser extent of e−/h+ pair recombination [12]. Dai et al. prepared a MWCNTs/TiO2 (MWCNTs = multi-wall carbon nanotubes

LED-light-activated photocatalytic performance of metal-free carbon-modified hexagonal boron nitride towards degradation of methylene blue and phenol

• Nirmalendu S. Mishra and
• Pichiah Saravanan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1380–1392, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.114

• approaches to make it as a light-driven nanomaterial owing to its potential capabilities. The light-driven ability of HBN can be achieved through multiple strategies. These include varying the structural morphology, heterojunction formation with a suitable photocatalyst, and doping with heteroatoms. The

• carriers due to appropriate positioning of edge potentials with respect to the synergised photocatalyst [11][12][13]. The process of doping includes introduction of heteroatoms such as sulphur, oxygen, and carbon into the HBN lattice. The doping of oxygen into the HBN lattice results in the generation of

• light photocatalyst. Materials and Methods Chemicals required Boric acid (H3BO3), melamine, glucose, hexagonal boron nitride nanopowder (BET surface area: 19 m−2 g−1), MB, and phenol were purchased from Alfa Aesar and TCI chemicals. All the purchased chemicals were high purity analytical grade reagents

Recent trends in Bi-based nanomaterials: challenges, fabrication, enhancement techniques, and environmental applications

• Vishal Dutta,
• Ankush Chauhan,
• Ritesh Verma,
• C. Gopalkrishnan and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1316–1336, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.109

• synthesizing and applying a semiconductor photocatalyst have been published in recent years. A survey on bismuth-based nanocomposites with the search keywords "Bismuth-based nanoparticles for environmental remediation" from 2011 to 2021 yields roughly 15,995 articles. This data illustrates the interest of the

• oxides, and binary Bi sulfides. Bismuth oxyhalides are indirect bandgap semiconductors in which photogenerated electrons and holes rarely recombine. BiOX is an excellent photocatalyst, and it is widely applied due to its small bandgap and high electron density, which are easily adjustable by changing the

• purification [31][32][33][34][35]. However, the present report focuses on understanding the role of different Bi-based photocatalysts concerning their synthesis method and enhancement. The mechanism of photocatalysts for different applications has been described for the type or nature of the photocatalyst

Rapid fabrication of MgO@g-C₃N₄ heterojunctions for photocatalytic nitric oxide removal

• Minh-Thuan Pham,
• Duyen P. H. Tran,
• Xuan-Thanh Bui and
• Sheng-Jie You

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1141–1154, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.96

• environment, human health, and other biotas. Among the technologies to treat NO pollution, photocatalytic oxidation under visible light is considered an effective means. This study describes photocatalytic oxidation to degrade NO under visible light with the support of a photocatalyst. MgO@g-C3N4

• simple way to synthesize photocatalytic heterojunction materials with high reusability and the potential of heterojunction photocatalysts in the field of environmental remediation. Keywords: g-C3N4; MgO; nitric oxide; photocatalyst; visible light; Introduction The rapid development of industrialization

• -C3N4 could be applied in the future as an excellent photocatalyst with high removal efficiency and low generation of toxic products. FTIR, XPS, and EDS measurements were carried out to confirm the presence of MgO in the MgO@g-C3N4 heterojunctions. Although MgO was difficult to determine in the MgO@g

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles toward highly efficient photocatalysis and antibacterial application

• Vo Thi Thu Nhu,
• Nguyen Duy Dat,
• Le-Minh Tam and
• Nguyen Hoang Phuong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1108–1119, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.94

• that the prepared ZnO material excellently removed MB and MO (cinitial = 10 mg/L) with efficiencies of 100% and 82.78%, respectively, after 210 min under UV radiation with a ZnO NP dose of 2 g/L. The photocatalyst activity of the synthesized material was also tested under visible light radiation with

• photocatalysts. ZnO has a higher quantum efficiency than that of TiO2 since it absorbs more energy in the UV region [4][5][6][7]. Furthermore, ZnO is a low-cost photocatalyst with high photocatalytic activity, nontoxicity, light sensitivity, and stability [8][9][10]. The photodegradation of organic substances by

• ] used Citrus aurantifolia extracts to synthesize ZnO NPs with a size range of 50–200 nm. Sangeetha et al. and Gunalan et al. used Aloe vera leaves as a precursor to synthesize ZnO with a size range of 25–45 nm [24][25]. Many studies have synthesized nanosized ZnO for antibacterial and photocatalyst

Spindle-like MIL101(Fe) decorated with Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles for enhanced degradation of chlortetracycline under visible-light irradiation

• Chen-chen Hao,
• Fang-yan Chen,
• Kun Bian,
• Yu-bin Tang and
• Wei-long Shi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1038–1050, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.91

• photocatalyst under UV light irradiation [30]. So far, a large number of MOFs have been shown to exhibit photocatalytic activity in H2 production, organic pollutant degradation, and Cr(VI) and CO2 reduction [26][27][31][32][33]. Among MOF catalysts, MIL101(Fe) is a cage-like structure formed by self-assembly of

• iron and bridged terephthalic acid molecules. It has high hydrothermal stability, low cost, good hydrophilicity, non-toxicity, and environmental friendliness [20][34]. Most importantly, MIL101(Fe) contains abundant iron-oxo (Fe-O) clusters, which makes it a photocatalyst with visible-light response [19

• . Characterization of the as-prepared catalyst The crystalline structure of the prepared photocatalyst was analyzed by X-ray diffraction spectrometry (Empyrean, Panalytical, Holland) with Cu Kα radiation at a scanning speed of 7 °/min. The morphology of the samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM

Solar-light-driven LaFe_xNi_1−xO₃ perovskite oxides for photocatalytic Fenton-like reaction to degrade organic pollutants

• Chao-Wei Huang,
• Shu-Yu Hsu,
• Jun-Han Lin,
• Yun Jhou,
• Wei-Yu Chen,
• Kun-Yi Andrew Lin,
• Yu-Tang Lin and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 882–895, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.79

• : LaFeO3; LaNiO3; methylene blue (MB); perovskite oxides; photocatalyst; Introduction With the advancement of science and technology, the world's population is increasing, leading to the fact that factories are consuming more and more resources. Water inevitably plays a vital role in industrial

• ]. Ti-doped, Mn-doped [30], and Cu-doped [31] LaFeO3 were investigated to conduct a photocatalytic Fenton-like reaction. Jauhar et al. demonstrated that Mn substituting Fe within LaFeO3 with the molar ratio of 0.1–0.5 displayed the effect of being used as a heterogeneous photocatalyst for dye

• understand the effect of the photocatalysis and the Fenton reaction in the degradation reaction, some degradation tests were also carried out as controlling experiments for comparison, including: (1) without adding photocatalyst (No catalyst), (2) without light (No light), and (3) without adding H2O2 (No

Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-nanotube composites derived from natural cellulose for visible-light photocatalytic treatment of pollutants

• Zehao Lin,
• Zhan Yang and
• Jianguo Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 745–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.66

• 5.0 cm from the quartz tube reactor. The photocatalyst (10.0 mg) was dispersed in the pollutant solution (20.0 mL, 10.0 mg·L−1) and stirred in the dark for 1 h to guarantee the adsorption−desorption equilibrium. Then, the visible light was switched on, and the suspension containing photocatalyst and

• by using the 70%−Bi2WO6/TiO2-NT nanocomposite. After the photocatalytic reaction of the first cycle, the photocatalyst was separated from the pollutant solution, washed with ethanol, and dried at 37 °C under vacuum for 12 h. After that, the photocatalyst was applied to the second cycle of the

• nanocomposite was set as the representative photocatalyst for the exploration of optimal pH values of the Cr(VI) pollutant solution under visible-light irradiation. It was demonstrated that the reduction efficiency of Cr(VI) under the alkaline condition was poor because the newly formed Cr(OH)3 precipitates

Direct measurement of surface photovoltage by AC bias Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Masato Miyazaki,
• Yasuhiro Sugawara and
• Yan Jun Li

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 712–720, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.63

• modulated external disturbances. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; Kelvin probe force microscopy; photocatalyst; surface photovoltage; titanium dioxide; Introduction Surface photovoltage (SPV) is the change in surface potential caused by light illumination [1][2] and is measured to determine such

A comprehensive review on electrospun nanohybrid membranes for wastewater treatment

• Senuri Kumarage,
• Imalka Munaweera and
• Nilwala Kottegoda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 137–159, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.10

Tin dioxide nanomaterial-based photocatalysts for nitrogen oxide oxidation: a review

• Viet Van Pham,
• Hong-Huy Tran,
• Thao Kim Truong and
• Thi Minh Cao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 96–113, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.7

• Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Viet Nam 10.3762/bjnano.13.7 Abstract Semiconducting SnO2 photocatalyst nanomaterials are extensively used in energy and environmental research because of their outstanding physical and chemical properties. In recent years, nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollutants have

• −, similarly holes react with water to form hydroxyl radicals). Free radicals and strong oxidizing agents react with NOx to produce NO3−, deposited on the photocatalyst surface. The NO3− product formed on the surface of the catalyst can be easily separated for further treatment by washing with water due [11

• morphology [25][26][27][28][29][30]. However, pure SnO2 suffers from some inherent drawbacks that limit its practical applications. With a wide bandgap (3.5–3.7 eV) [31][32], SnO2 can only be excited by UV irradiation. As a typical oxidation photocatalyst with the CB edge energy level, which is not conducive

Self-assembly of amino acids toward functional biomaterials

• Huan Ren,
• Lifang Wu,
• Lina Tan,
• Yanni Bao,
• Yuchen Ma,
• Yong Jin and
• Qianli Zou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1140–1150, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.85

• ) melanin through a Schiff base reaction to form an adhesive layer, and Fmoc-ʟ-Lys/DOPA fiber simulated an antenna to capture light. As a photosensitizer, Sn(IV)tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrin (SnTPyP) was combined with the photocatalyst Co3O4 NPs by coordination bonds and electrostatic interaction onto the

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

Nanoporous and nonporous conjugated donor–acceptor polymer semiconductors for photocatalytic hydrogen production

• Zhao-Qi Sheng,
• Yu-Qin Xing,
• Yan Chen,
• Guang Zhang,
• Shi-Yong Liu and
• Long Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 607–623, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.50

• and Honda [4] reported the first example of hydrogen production by photocatalytic water splitting in 1972, using TiO2 as the photocatalyst under ultraviolet-light irradiation. Since then, numerous semiconductors have been explored for photocatalytic hydrogen production (PHP) by water splitting, which

• , for example, La, Bi, and Ta, which are often rare, toxic, and expensive [6]. Also, expensive noble metal-based cocatalysts (e.g., Pt) are required to improve the photocatalytic performance. As such, an ideal photocatalyst for water splitting reaction should fit the following criteria: suitable bandgap

• photocatalyst (i.e., poly(p-phenylene)) for PHP was reported, but did not attract much attention due to the low hydrogen evolution rate (HER) [11]. In 2009, Wang et al. reported a novel metal-free polymeric photocatalyst (i.e., graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)), which could efficiently reduce protons to

Boosting of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution via chlorine doping of polymeric carbon nitride

• Malgorzata Aleksandrzak,
• Michalina Kijaczko,
• Wojciech Kukulka,
• Daria Baranowska,
• Martyna Baca,
• Beata Zielinska and
• Ewa Mijowska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 473–484, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.38

• , Poland 10.3762/bjnano.12.38 Abstract Chlorine is found to be a suitable element for the modification of polymeric carbon nitride properties towards an efficient visible-light photocatalytic activity. In this study, chlorine-doped polymeric carbon nitride (Cl-PCN) has been examined as a photocatalyst in

• semiconductor polymer, as a metal-free and visible-light-responsive photocatalyst, has attracted dramatically growing attention in the field of visible-light-induced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). It is characterized by facile synthesis, easy functionalization, attractive electronic band structure, and

• . studied the photoactivity of PCN doped with S in the CO2 reduction reaction. The yield of CH3OH over the unit area of the photocatalyst was almost 2.5 times higher than of pristine PCN [35]. Recently, co-doping of g-C3N4 with two non-metallic elements has been also studied. This strategy can enhance

Unravelling the interfacial interaction in mesoporous SiO₂@nickel phyllosilicate/TiO₂ core–shell nanostructures for photocatalytic activity

• Bridget K. Mutuma,
• Xiluva Mathebula,
• Isaac Nongwe,
• Bonakele P. Mtolo,
• Boitumelo J. Matsoso,
• Rudolph Erasmus,
• Zikhona Tetana and
• Neil J. Coville

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1834–1846, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.165

• photocatalyst with a degradation efficacy of 93% after three cycles. The porous flake-like morphology of the nickel phyllosilicate acted as a suitable support for the TiO2 nanoparticles. Further, a coating of TiO2 on the mSiO2@NiPS surface greatly affected the surface features and optoelectronic properties of

• inertness, low cost, and non-toxicity, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely used as a photocatalyst in the degradation of dyes in textile industries as well as in water-treatment systems [5][6]. There are three different phases of TiO2, namely anatase, rutile, and brookite. Compared to the rutile and

• support for TiO2 creating a photocatalyst with improved photoactivity due to the presence of more active sites for the adsorption of the MV dye molecules. Additionally, from the diffuse reflectance UV–vis data, an optical bandgap of approximately 2.05 eV was obtained for mSiO2@NiPS while that of mSiO2

Nanocasting synthesis of BiFeO₃ nanoparticles with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

• Thomas Cadenbach,
• Maria J. Benitez,
• A. Lucia Morales,
• Cesar Costa Vera,
• Luis Lascano,
• Francisco Quiroz,
• Alexis Debut and
• Karla Vizuete

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1822–1833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.164

• photocatalytic activity [20]. Since the photocatalytic degradation of organic molecules using a metal oxide photocatalyst is a heterogeneous process, it is obvious that efficiency and overall catalytic performance are strongly correlated to the number of active sites on the catalyst surface area and, thus, to

• samples was evaluated using RhB as a model organic pollutant that is extremely stable under visible-light irradiation in the absence of a photocatalyst [28][51]. The photodegradation experiments clearly show that RhB has been degraded by the BiFeO3-0 5.5 nm catalyst as the intensity of the maximum

• × 10−3 min−1 (BiFeO3, 20 nm) and 4.61 × 10−3 (BiFeO3 5.5 nm@SBA, see below) to 1.34 × 10−2 (BiFeO3 5.5 nm) and with decreasing particle sizes and thus increasing surface area (Figure 8). The importance of the high surface area of the photocatalyst is also shown when the photodegradation of RhB is

Cu₂O nanoparticles for the degradation of methyl parathion

• Juan Rizo,
• David Díaz,
• Benito Reyes-Trejo and
• M. Josefina Arellano-Jiménez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1546–1555, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.137

• 4-nitrophenol (4-NPh) as the main product. While the P=S bond of MP becomes P=O, confirmed by 31P NMR. Although Cu2O is a widely known photocatalyst, the degradation of methyl parathion was associated to the surface basicity of Cu2O NPs. Indirect evidence for the basicity of Cu2O NPs was achieved

Atomic-resolution imaging of rutile TiO₂(110)-(1 × 2) reconstructed surface by non-contact atomic force microscopy

• Daiki Katsube,
• Shoki Ojima,
• Eiichi Inami and
• Masayuki Abe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 443–449, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.35

• force microscopy; (1 × 2) reconstruction; rutile; surface structure; titanium dioxide (TiO2); Introduction Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a well-known photocatalyst and has been studied for applications in water splitting and the coating of materials [1]. To optimize the photocatalytic function, it is

• important to understand the reaction process, hence investigations of chemical and physical surface characteristics and the structure of the photocatalyst are necessary. The rutile TiO2(110) surface has often been the subject of atomic-level studies in the field of photocatalysis since the preparation of a

Synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic performance of 0D/2D CuO/tourmaline composite photocatalysts

• Changqiang Yu,
• Min Wen,
• Zhen Tong,
• Shuhua Li,
• Yanhong Yin,
• Xianbin Liu,
• Yesheng Li,
• Tongxiang Liang,
• Ziping Wu and
• Dionysios D. Dionysiou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 407–416, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.31

• functional mineral material for accepting the photogenerated e− due to its special electric field. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of the CuO/tourmaline composite photocatalyst with 0D/2D CuO geometric structure by a facile precipitation–hydrothermal process. This work firstly highlights a simple

• ., China. Photocatalyst synthesis A hydrothermal process was employed to synthesize the CuO/tourmaline composite. In detail, 0.50 g of the tourmaline powder and 40 mL of distilled water were added into a beaker followed by 20 min of magnetic stirring, and the obtained suspension was sonicated for 20 min to

• NANO ZS90 instrument (Malvern, UK). Photocatalytic activity evaluation The photocatalytic performance was examined by the degradation of MB with light irradiation simulated by a 300 W Xe lamp with a 420 nm cut-off filter. In detail, 0.05 g of the as-synthesized photocatalyst was added into 100 mL of