Photocatalytic Degradation Of Rhodamine B Research Articles

Boosting the photocatalytic benzylamine oxidation and Rhodamine B degradation using Z-scheme heterojunction of NiFe2O4/rGO/Bi2WO6

The construction of heterojunction photocatalysts with powerful interfacial connections is critical for the actual utilization of photocatalytic technology. In this paper, the heterojunction photocatalyst NiFe2O4/rGO/Bi2WO6 (NFO/rGO/BWO) was prepared by in-situ hydrothermal method. Due to its excellent conductivity, rGO promoted the separation of photogenerated carriers, which was beneficial to the formation of Z-scheme heterojunction between NFO and BWO, and the absorption of visible light was improved by the involvement of rGO and NFO. Among a series of synthesized photocatalysts, 3 % NFO/rGO/BWO had the best photocatalytic activity in the photocatalytic oxidative coupling of benzylamine (BA). After 180 min of illumination, high conversion of 96 % for BA was achieved, which was 2.6 times higher than that of BWO. When it was applied to the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), complete degradation could be achieved, and the degradation rate was 5.67 times than that of BWO. The important roles of h+ and •O2– in the reaction were confirmed by electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis and radical capture experiments. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation and bandgap structure of the catalysts verified the existence of Z-scheme heterojunction. Potential reaction pathways for photocatalytic BA coupling and RhB degradation were proposed, respectively.

An efficient novel NiCu@INA/rGO MOF hollow microsphere Z-scheme heterojunction catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline and simultaneous degradation of cationic and anionic Dyes

Bimetallic metal-organic framework materials have captivated considerable attention in photocatalysis because of their colossal properties like semiconducting, large surface area, and potent visible light harnessing ability. Self-aggregation and rapid recombination rates have greatly hindered their applications in photocatalysis. A novel reduced graphene oxide-incorporated bimetallic nickel copper metal-organic framework (NiCu@INA/rGO MOF) is fabricated using isonicotinic acid as an organic linker. A synergistic effect between the two metals increased the photocatalytic performance. Introducing reduced graphene oxide to nickel-copper MOF increased charge carrier retention transfer and enhanced the catalyst’s water dispersibility. The efficiency of the photocatalyst for the removal of tetracycline (TCn) and a mixture of Rhodamine B (RhB) and Orange G (OrG) dyes was investigated under visible light. A degradation efficiency of up to 89 % for TCn and close to ∼97.8 % and 93.5 % degradation in the case of RhB and OrG dyes was observed. The studies on the photocatalytic degradation mechanism were explored by conducting radical scavenger experiments, Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies, and Mott-Schottky analysis. TCn and RhB degradation pathways were explored by mass spectral analysis of the intermediates during the photocatalytic degradation of TCn and RhB. This work provides new paradigms for the functional modification of MOF for designing efficient photocatalysis.

Integrating machine learning with experimental investigation for optimizing photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B using neodymium-doped titanium dioxide: a comprehensive approach with toxicity assessment.

In this study, neodymium-doped titanium dioxide (Nd-TiO2) nanoparticles were synthesized via a hydrothermal method for the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV and sunlight conditions. The properties of these NPs were comprehensively characterized. And optimization of RhB degradation was conducted using control-variable experiment and artificial neural networks (ANN) under various operational conditions and in the presence of competing compounds. The acute toxicity of both NPs, RhB, and the environmental impact of the photocatalytic treatment effluent on Danio rerio were evaluated. The Nd modification increased the catalyst's specific surface area and thermal stability. X-ray diffraction confirmed the tetragonal anatase phase in undoped TiO2, while Nd-doped TiO2 exhibited shifts in peaks and the presence of brookite and rutile phases. Nd (1mol%) doped TiO2 demonstrated superior RhB photocatalytic degradation efficiency, achieving 95% degradation and 82% total organic carbon (TOC) removal within 60min under UV irradiation. Optimization under sunlight conditions yielded 95.14% RhB removal with 0.28g/L photocatalyst and 1% doping. Under UV light, 98.12% RhB removal was optimized with 0.97% doping, along with the presence of humic acid and CaCl2. ANN modeling achieved high precision (R2 of 0.99) in modeling environmental photocatalysis. Toxicity assessments indicated that the 96-h LC50 values were 681.59mg L-1 for both NPs, and 23.02mg L-1 for RhB. The treated dye solution exhibited a significant decline in toxicity, emphasizing the potential of 1% Nd-TiO2 in wastewater treatment.

Facile construction of ZnWO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction for the improved photocatalytic degradation of MB, RhB and mixed dyes

This study presents the construction of binary ZnWO4/g-C3N4 nanocomposite via a facile hydrothermal approach to enhance the photocatalytic performance under the visible light irradiation. The proposed ZnWO4/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalyst shows excellent photodegradation towards organic dyes, such as methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB). The optimal loading of ZnWO4 and g-C3N4 leads to the synergistic effect which plays a predominant role in inhibiting the fast electron-hole pairs recombination rate at the interface of ZnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst. The degradation rates of MB and RhB is achieved around 92.9 % and 88.8 % under the visible light irradiation for 120 min. According to our findings, the radical quenching experiments suggested that the ●OH radicals played a positive impact in the photodegradation process. Since, our proposed photocatalyst exhibit superior photocatalytic activity towards the individual MB and RhB degradation. The ZnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst were further applied to demonstrate the degradation of mixed dyes (MB and RhB) at an irradiation time of 180 min. In the mixed dye solution, the ZnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst achieved a highest reaction rate of 0.010 min−1 for MB and 0.012 min−1 for RhB with the degradation rate of 87.8 % and 83.3 % for RhB and MB, respectively. For the mixed dyes, the radical quenching experiments confirmed that the ●OH radicals are responsible for the fast photodegradation. Additionally, the practicality of the proposed ZnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst towards the degradation of MB, RhB and the mixed dyes were examined in the tap water samples. Furthermore, the plausible photodegradation mechanism of ZnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst was proposed in detail. This study provides a new insight for the simultaneous degradation of mixed chemical pollutants using our proposed ZnWO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst.

Improved purification efficiency and stability of photocatalytic cement-based pavement coated with colloidal graphitic carbon nitride

Photocatalytic coatings applied onto cement-based pavement materials have been intensely developed to purify runoff pollution and vehicle exhaust. However, the masking effect of the adhesive incorporation often results in an unsatisfactory purification efficiency. Thus, developing an adhesive-free photocatalytic coating with high stability and purification efficiency on cement-based pavements is still urgently needed. Herein, a colloidal graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) modified with hydroxyl groups was sprayed onto cement pastes to prepare a photocatalytic coating on the cement-based materials. The results of photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) indicated that the RhB degradation efficiency and stability of the colloidal g-C3N4-coated cement paste were significantly improved compared to pristine g-C3N4-coated cement paste. After a runoff-washing trial, photocatalytic RhB degradation by colloidal g-C3N4-coated cement paste was 13.8-fold higher than that of pristine g-C3N4-coated cement paste. Mechanistic studies suggested that the well-distributed membrane microstructure of colloidal g-C3N4 and coordinate bonds between colloidal g-C3N4 and calcium-silicate-hydrates were mainly responsible for the improved stability and purification efficiency of colloidal g-C3N4-coated cement pastes. These results support the use of colloidal g-C3N4 as a promising strategy to prepare photocatalytic cement-based pavements with good stability and purification efficiency.

Constructing a Type-II CdS/Bi2MoO6 Heterostructure: Promoting Photocatalytic Degradation of Contaminants.

Constructing a heterostructure is regarded as one of the most favorable approaches to attaining the separation ability of photogenerated carriers and strengthening photocatalysis efficiency. In this study, a CdS/Bi2MoO6 type-II heterostructure was constructed through a hydrothermal technique. The photocatalytic test result shows that the degradation efficiency of rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline (TC) over CS/BMO-1 was 100 and 92% under visible light, respectively, which is the highest compared to other samples. The exceptional photocatalytic efficiency is principally associated with generating an inherent electric field within a type-II heterostructure, effectively restraining the recombination of photogenerated electron hole pairs. The intermediate products during the photocatalytic degradation of RhB and TC were identified through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the hypotheses were formulated regarding the corresponding photodegradation mechanisms. Furthermore, the outcomes of capture tests exhibited that the primary active species were •O2- and h+, and a mechanism of the photocatalytic degradation procedure has been proposed.

Facile fabrication of carbon nanotubes/zinc oxide decorated poly(vinyl alcohol) electrospun nanofiber membrane and its photocatalytic performance

AbstractThe carbon nanotubes/zinc oxide (CNTs/ZnO) nanocomposites were immobilized on the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membrane for highly reutilization rate in photocatalytic degradation of RhodamineB (RhB) based on the combination of electrospinning and ultrasonication treatment. The results revealed that the CNTs are successfully compounded with ZnO, and the surface of nanofibers was uniformly covered with CNTs/ZnO nanoparticles. Under visible light irradiation, the CNTs/ZnO@PVA nanocomposites displayed excellent photocatalytic activity with 98.4% of RhB degradation rate within 3 h illumination. In comparison with pure PVA, and CNTs/ZnO with equivalent loading capacity on CNTs/ZnO@PVA film suspended in aqueous solution, the synthesized CNTs/ZnO@PVA film degrades RhB dye more efficiently. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of CNTs/ZnO@PVA nanocomposites did not change significantly even after five recycles, indicating a certain degree of reusability. The mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed. The as‐prepared flexible CNTs/ZnO@PVA nanocomposites could be employed as a promising material for the practical photocatalytic degradation of wastewater.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from southern Eucalyptus globulus: Potent antioxidants and photocatalysts for rhodamine B dye degradation

Nanotechnology and nanoscience provide innovative foundations for delivering a wide range of new and enhanced technologies to the modern world. To break down Rhodamine B (RhB) dye solutions, this work describes the creation of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using the aqueous leaf extract of Eucalyptus globulus (E. globulus). The biosynthesized Ag-NPs were studied using UV–vis spectroscopy and SEM in conjunction with EDX, TEM, FTIR, HPLC and XRD. Stable Ag-NPs were synthesized using E. globulus, as evidenced by the absorption peaks at 431 nm seen in the UV–vis spectrum analysis. Spherical-shaped particles were visible in the SEM images, and the metallic form of the synthesised Ag-NPs was verified by EDX. The initial concentration of RhB, reaction duration, temperatures, and pH were all adjusted to optimise the photocatalytic degradation of RhB using Ag-NPs. The results indicated that photocatalytic effectiveness increased with rising pH. After 80 min at room temperature, the degradation reached 91.20 % at pH 12. The antioxidant EC50 results demonstrate that Ag-NPs exhibited a higher level of protective antioxidants (20.15 ± 0.3 µg/mL for DPPH and 10.24 ± 0.2 µg/mL for ABTS) compared to the E. globulus leaf extracts.

Effect of CdS loading on the properties and photocatalytic activity of MoS2 nanosheets

Molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) and modified MoS2 with different percentages of CdS (10%, 30%, and 50% CdS@MoS2) were successfully synthesized and characterized. The photocatalytic performance of the MoS2 and CdS@MoS2 was evaluated by degrading brilliant green (BG), methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine B (RhB) dyes under visible light irradiation. Amongst the synthesized photocatalysts, 50% CdS@MoS2 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity, degrading 97.6%, 90.3%, and 75.5% of BG, MB, and RhB dyes, respectively within 5 h. The active species involved in the degradation processes were investigated. All trapping agents inhibited BG and MB degradation to a similar extent, indicating that all of the probed active species play an important role in the degradation of BG and MB. In contrast, h+ and O2•− were found to be the main reactive species in the photocatalytic RhB degradation. A potential mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation of dyes using CdS@MoS2 has been proposed. This work highlights the potential of CdS@MoS2 as a photocatalyst for more efficient water remediation applications.

Highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B by immobilizing CdS quantum dots on ZnCr-layered double hydroxide nanosheets

The removal of Rhodamine B (RhB), a commonly encountered cationic dye in heavily contaminated wastewater streams, from wastewater effluents presents a significant challenge. Herein, we focus on developing an innovative ternary nanocomposite of zinc oxide nanoparticles, quantum dots of cadmium sulfide (CdS QDs), and zinc-chromium carbonate layered double hydroxide nanosheets (ZnCr–CO3-LDH NSs) via a sonochemical synthesis route. The synthesized ternary nanocomposite, CdS QDs@ZnO/ZnCr–CO3-LDH referred to as CZC-LDH, exhibits remarkable photodegradation performance of rhodamine B (RhB) dye under UV-A radiation. A comprehensive investigation into the photocatalytic efficiency and characteristics of CZC-LDH was conducted using various analytical techniques, including XRD, FESEM, DRS, XPS, HR-TEM, PL, and BET (surface area analysis). Results indicate that CZC-LDH demonstrates superior photocatalytic efficiency, achieving 98.26 % degradation of RhB within 3-h only. Moreover, the influence of different scavengers on CZC-LDH photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated to elucidate the plausible RhB photocatalytic degradation pathway. The as-prepared CZC-LDH exhibits exceptional photocatalytic performance, stability, and reusability, positioning it as a promising candidate to previously reported photocatalysts in literature.

Economical, one-pot, and green synthesis of plant-based carbon quantum dots for efficient visible-light photocatalytic dye degradation and water purification

BackgroundGreen, in-situ, one-pot, facile, and economical synthesis of efficient photocatalysts to destroy emerging aqueous contaminants is essential. MethodBiocompatible carbon quantum dots (CQDs) photocatalysts were successfully synthesized from a plant source called garden thyme as a low-cost precursor by one-step calcination method. CQDs were synthesized in both pure form and co-doped with fluorine and boron indicating size of <10 nm and favorable quantum yield of 40%. Four key factors including synthesis temperature, synthesis time, fluorine and boron weight ratios, and CQDs size were investigated on removal rates of organic pollutant Rhodamine B (RhB). Significant findings10%F-10%B co-doped CQDs with synthesized at 400 ºC for 5 h with a size of <10 nm, showed the highest photocatalytic RhB degradation performances of 86.1% and 89% within 40 and 60 min, respectively. This improved performance was originated from synergetic influences of quantum size, co-doping, promising quantum yield, and great visible light harvesting, that satisfactorily separated and transported light-created electron-hole pair. Trapping experimental data approved that hydroxyl radicals were dominant reactive species that oxidized RhB on F,B co-doped CQDs catalysts upon visible light radiation. Overall, CQDs could be easily synthesized as a green and super-cheap photocatalyst and would be effective for wastewater treatments.

Enhancing photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B with visible-light-driven HCl-assisted Bi2O3 photocatalysts: Activity, mechanism, and pathways

This study utilized X-diffraction, BET, photoluminescence, UV–vis DRS, FTIR, SEM, XPS, TOC analysis, EPR, electrochemical measurements, and LC-MS to characterize the structural characteristics, morphology, optical properties, photocatalytic activity, surface electronic states, active compounds, and potential photodegradation pathways of rhodamine B (RhB) over as-prepared Bi2O3. The as-prepared Bi2O3 photocatalyst exhibited a narrow bandgap, which enabled efficient absorption of visible light, thereby contributing to its enhanced photocatalytic activity. Additionally, Bi2O3 exhibited a high degradation efficiency for RhB. with up to 96.8 % of RhB removed within 120 min at pH 3.0. The excellent photocatalytic performance of Bi2O3 can be attributed to the formation of the heterogeneous Bi2O3/BiOCl structure on the Bi2O3 surface in the presence of HCl. Moreover, the TOC analysis revealed that over 58.1 % of the carbon in the RhB solution was mineralized into CO2 after 120 min of irradiation. The effect of catalyst content, RhB concentration, initial pH, and inorganic anions on the photocatalytic degradation of RhB over Bi2O3 was examined. Furthermore, the active compounds and potential photocatalytic mechanism of the Bi2O3/BiOCl heterogeneous structure toward RhB were evaluated. The intermediates formed during RhB degradation were identified, and the corresponding degradation pathway was deduced via LC-MS.

Achieving Overall Carbon Utilization from Organic Wastewater to Recover Solar Syngas via an Artificial Carbon Cycling System

AbstractBuilding artificial carbon cycling systems for the direct conversion of wastewater into value‐added solar fuels using renewable solar energy can contribute to achieving carbon neutrality. Herein, a bifunctional photocatalyst comprising three‐dimensionally ordered Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 nanoflowers is exploited for tandem carbon cycling systems to achieve efficient organic wastewater treatment with simultaneous CO2 resourcing. The highest efficiency is achieved by using the optimal Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 photocatalyst to treat simulated wastewater containing rhodamine B (RhB), with an enhanced primary CO production rate of 10.02 µmol g−1 h−1 and RhB degradation efficiency of 77.6% after 1 h of illumination in an anoxic environment. The CO/H2 ratio of the produced syngas can be readily tuned from 0.95 to 1.86 by adjusting the Ti3C2Tx content. Mechanistic studies based on DFT, in situ DRIFTS, and LC‐MS2/IC reveal that the coupled photocatalytic RhB degradation and CO2 reduction processes collectively undertake *HCOO intermediate coverage. This phenomenon triggers the sustainable and simultaneous conversion of *CO2 and *HCOO into CO under mild conditions and crosses the key rate‐limiting step of CO2‐to‐CO conversion, thereby achieving overall carbon utilization from organic wastewater treatment. This study offers in‐depth insights into the design and mechanisms of highly effective carbon utilization in artificial carbon cycling systems.

Co–N–C anchored g-C3N4 plate enhancing surface activity for efficient visible-light photocatalytic rhodamine-B elimination and CO2 conversion

Poor light-harvesting, fast recombination of photo-induced charge carriers, and unfavorable surface adsorption remain the major issues restricting the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4. In this study, the Co-N-C decorated g-C3N4 (Co-N-C/g-CN) plate was developed by constructing Co-N-C on the surface of g-CN plate to improve photocatalytic rhodamine-B (RhB) degradation and CO2 conversion. The as-prepared 0.5Co-N-C/g-CN plate exhibited an exceptionally high efficiency in photocatalytic RhB degradation, with a rate of 99.5 % achieved in mere 30 min. Besides, the 0.5Co-N-C/g-CN plate also demonstrated an outstanding photocatalytic CO2 conversion rate of 33.7 μmol g−1cat h−1 within 4 h, which was more than 3.4-fold that of g-CN (9.9 μmol g−1cat h−1). Experiments demonstrated that the surface-constructed Co-N-C enhanced the visible light-harvesting and the separation of photo-induced charge carriers, boosting the optical property. Moreover, the density functionalized theory (DFT) calculations verified that the Co-N-C cocatalyst optimized O2 adsorption for the generation of superoxide radicals (·O-2), accelerating the photocatalytic RhB removal. Meanwhile, the Co-N-C was advantageous for the adsorption and activation of CO2, facilitating the photocatalytic CO2 conversion. This study provides a perspective on the surface engineering of g-CN toward enhanced photocatalytic performance.

A novel binary composite catalyst DiCoPc/BiOCl for synergistic photocatalytic degradation of dyes

A novel binary composite catalyst, DiCoPc/BiOCl, was produced through the hydrothermal method of loading DiCoPc onto BiOCl. The catalyst was then analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye pollutant was performed using the composite as a catalyst under visible light irradiation. Compared with DiCoPc and BiOCl, the composite of DiCoPc/BiOCl resulted in a significant enhancement of RhB's photocatalytic degradation, achieving a maximum degradation efficiency of 90.1 %. This is because, in the photocatalytic process, the loading of DiCoPc can expand the BiOCl's photoresponse range and enhance its light absorption performance. At the same time, the metal phthalocyanine can optimize the energy-level structure of the material and reduce the electron-hole recombination. Thus,the photocatalytic degradation of the composites was improved due to the synergistic effect of DiCoPc and BiOCl.

Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine-B and Crystal Violet in wastewater: a sustainable approach using bismuth molybdate

Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine-B and Crystal Violet in wastewater: a sustainable approach using bismuth molybdate

Regulation of Lewis acid sites on ZnO/SiW11Co for tunable photocatalytic activity toward water remediation

The function of surface acidity in catalytic reactions has been well studied in the field of conventional catalysis, nevertheless, regulating surface acidic sites and unveiling its roles during heterogeneous photocatalysis has been less frequently reported. To address this issue, we constructed a novel heterojunction photocatalyst of ZnO/SiW11Co with abundant Lewis acid sites for wastewater treatment. Under visible light irradiation, the optimal ZnO/SiW11Co was found to have the highest photocatalytic activity, achieving a degradation efficiency of 97.7% for Rhodamine B (RhB), 96.1% for tetracycline (TC), and 91.4% for methyl orange (MO). The RhB removal rate remained at 91.3% even after five cycles, indicating excellent stability and practicality of ZnO/SiW11Co. By compositing with SiW11Co, a typical polyoxometalates with unique super acid properties, ZnO/SiW11Co formed plentiful surface Lewis acid sites, as confirmed by the pyridine adsorption FT-IR and NH3-TPD. The as-formed Lewis acid sites could provide more active sites, making it easier for reactants to coordinate to the photocatalyst surface, which reduced the activation energy of photocatalytic reactions and accelerate RhB removal. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations unveiled the redistribution of electron-hole pairs, optimizing the light absorption and charge separation efficiency, which obeyed a Z-scheme mechanism. Combined active species capture experiments and electron spin resonance, •O2−, h+, and •OH were the main active substances for the photocatalytic degradation of RhB. Besides, the possible degradation pathways for RhB were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The work provided useful strategy for the design of high-performance photocatalysts via regulating surface Lewis acid sites toward water remediation.

Nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dot as electron acceptor anchored on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet for improving rhodamine B degradation

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) hold significant promise for wastewater treatment because of their remarkable attributes, including robust stability, outstanding biocompatibility, minimal toxicity, superior water dispersibility, cost-effective production, and exceptional photo-stability.In this study, CQDs were synthesized using microplasma and tested for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) (5 mg/L) under different conditions, with a Solar simulator and UVA illumination. Specifically, graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (NCN) in conjugation with carbon quantum dots (NCN@CQD) were prepared with different amounts of CQD. The synthesized CQD, NCN, and NCN@CQD underwent characterization using various compositional and structural analytical techniques. The results show that nitrogen species were effectively incorporated into the CQDs framework and CQDs are anchored on NCN forming NCN@CQD successfully. Subsequently, all samples were then investigated in degrading Rhodamin B, RhB, to assess the photocatalytic activity. The results reveal that the presence of CQDs substantially improved the photocatalytic efficiency of NCN. Specifically, the CQDs anchored on NCN exhibited a substantial enhancement in the photoactivity for RhB decomposition under a solar light simulator, surpassing that of pure NCN. The amount of CQD in the NCN@CQD sample exerted a strong influence on the photocatalytic activity. All NCN@CQD samples exhibited remarkable enhancements in both adsorption and photocatalytic performance compared to pure CQD and NCN samples. In an optimization study, a best NCN@CQ photocatalyst was identified, showing a 40 % enhancement of photocatalytic efficiency compared to the use of NCN alone. A visible light photocatalytic activity of 91 % can be attained within 150 min, exhibiting a reaction rate constant of 0.0135 min−1 toward RhB decomposition, which was double as for the individual NCN (0.0067 min−1). The boosted photocatalytic activity resulting from the synergistic effect between NCNs and CQDs can be attributed to the efficient function of CQD as an electron acceptor. The proposed mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of RhB is illustrated in detail.

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of Ga2O3 hollow spheres prepared by hard template technique

Semiconductor-assisted photocatalytic treatment has been regarded as a promising technique to dispose the dye-contaminated wastewater and gained pronounced attention recently. Here, we demonstrated a kind of Ga2O3 nanometer hollow sphere photocatalysis by template-assisted technique and applied it on the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). It was found that the hollow spherical structure of photocatalyst can greatly enhance the photo absorption and reduce the recombination of photogenerated carriers, thus improve the photocatalytic performance. This study provides a new method for efficient photocatalytic degradation of RhB, and provides a new idea for subsequent degradation work.

Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of Exfoliated Boron‐TiO2 Composite for Degradation of Rhodamine B and Nitrogen Fixation

AbstractThe design of an efficient, recyclable, visible light photocatalytic system was examined as a viable new green way to address environmental challenges such as removal of pollutants from wastewater and N2 fixation. The exfoliated boron (Bexf)‐Titanium oxide (TiO2) composite visible light active photocatalysts were successfully constructed via a simple wet chemical method by utilizing acetone as a solvent. The composite was evaluated for the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye and reduction of N2, which exhibits improved photocatalytic activity for degradation of RhB as well as for reduction of N2. Experiments with different quenchers indicate that the photogenerated superoxide radical anion (O2⋅−) plays a significant role in the degradation of RhB as well as for N2 reduction reactions. The composite catalyst shows good photostability and there is no significant reduction of the catalyst activity for dye degradation up to 4 cycles of reaction. This work affords a significant view into the design of reusable TiO2 composite materials for photocatalytic RhB degradation and nitrogen fixation.