Simulated Light Irradiation Research Articles

Photo-electrochemical and photocatalytic properties of hierarchical flower-like BiOI/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites synthesized by co-precipitation method

Abstract The binary flower-like BiOI/CoFe2O4 photocatalysts with magnetic retrievability were successfully synthesized via coprecipitation method. The effects of composite ratio on the microstructure, morphology, optical, photo-electrochemical and photocatalytic properties of the samples were studied. The experimental results show that BiOI/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites contain tetragonal structure BiOI and cubic spinel structure CoFe2O4 with good crystallization. Spherical CoFe2O4 nanoparticles are uniformly decorated on the surface of BiOI nanosheets to establish hierarchical flower-like 3D- BiOI/CoF2O4 heterojunctions. BiOI/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites show excellent visible light absorption ability. PL spectra show the intensity decrease for BiOI/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites. BiOI/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites can promote the separation of photon-generated carriers, improve the migration efficiency, and improve the redox activity of nanocomposites. BiOI/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites exhibit better photocatalytic activity during the process of degrading the RhB dye solution under the irradiation of simulated visible light. The degradation efficiency of BiOI/CFO-3 photocatalysts is 80.24% after 3 cycles, and exhibit better recyclable stability. Also, ·O2− is the main reactive species in the degradation process, which plays a crucial role in the RhB degradation.

Photochemical reactivity of nitrogen-doped biochars under simulated sunlight irradiation: Generation of singlet oxygen

This study explored the photochemical activity of nitrogen-doped biochars (NCMs) by investigating their role in the degradation of sulfamethazine under simulated sunlight irradiation. NCMs with different doping amounts were prepared from corn straw and urea. Results showed that nitrogen doping can notably enhance the photodegradation of SMT rather than raw char. NCMs are of photochemical activity under visible light, which was confirmed by monochromatic light experiments. Quenching experiments, ESR, pH effect, and the influence of O2 were carried out to explore the involved oxidation mechanism in this system. Results showed that 1O2 was the main reactive oxygen species. 1O2 was produced from O2 by both energy transfer and electron transfer. DFT calculations showed that pyridinic N doping can decrease the energy of intersystem crossing and thus benefit the generation of 1O2 by triplet-triplet energy transfer. Results underscore the explicit importance of nitrogen element in photochemical reactivity of chars under simulated light irradiation even when the nitrogen content is low. It is a meaningful reminder for us to pay more attention to the assessment of the fate and transport of contaminants in the soil where it is rich in NCMs as well as the potential use of NCMs for pollutants remediation, since visible light is very abundant near the earth’s surface.

Rational design of Ru(II)-phenanthroline complex embedded porous TiO2photocatalyst for efficient hydrogen production

Abstract The design of an efficient photocatalytic system with a capability of effective photon conversion for hydrogen evolution is highly challenging. Herein, we report the first example of phenanthroline based ruthenium complexes (PRC1-3) embedded nanostructured hierarchical porous TiO2 composites (HPT) that showed impressive H2 evolution reaction (HER) under simulated light irradiation. The introduction of the propenyl groups in the Ru-Phen complexes reveal enhanced light response (350–550 nm) with increased charge transfer behaviour and lifetime of 77–127 ns. The composite PHPT-PRC’s endows high performance towards HER. The superior activity of PHPT-PRC3 exhibits H2 yield of 3066 μmolg−1cat with a turnover number of 123 after 4 h compared to N719 sensitized PHPT (N719-PHPT). The enhancement in HER is due to the strong photon absorption in PRC3 with 3-propenyl moieties with an extended excited state lifetime. Further, the high surface area and uniform porous structures of HPT favours better transport of irradiated light absorption and enhanced charge transfer property which synergistically improves the effective charge transfer on the photocatalytic HER. The experimental observations corroborated with computational calculations which further elucidates the high efficiency of PRC3 than 1 and 2 due to favourable HOMO-LUMO energy levels, efficient charge separation and enhanced regeneration of oxidized dye.

Charge Transport Surmounting Hierarchical Ligand Confinement toward Multifarious Photoredox Catalysis.

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been deemed an imperative sector of nanomaterial for triggering the Schottky-junction-driven electron flow in photoredox catalysis, but they suffer from sluggish charge-transfer kinetics, rendering efficient charge flow difficult. Here, we report the construction of unidirectional charge-transfer channel in a metal/semiconductor heterostructure via a ligand-triggered self-assembly method, by which hierarchically branched ligands (DMAP)-capped Pd NPs were controllably attached on the WO3 nanorods (NRs) scaffold, resulting in the well-defined Pd@DMAP/WO3 NRs heterostructures. The pinpointed deposition of Pd@DMAP on the WO3 NRs endows the Pd@DMAP/WO3 NRs heterostructure with conspicuously improved photoactivities for organic pollutant mineralization, as well as the capacities for photocatalytic selective oxidation of aromatic alcohols to aldehydes and photoreduction of chromium ions under the irradiation of simulated sunlight and visible light, far surpassing the applicability of blank WO3 NRs. This is due to the imperative contribution of Pd@DMAP as efficient electron reservoir in accelerating the unidirectional flow of electrons from Pd@DMAP to WO3 NRs, overcoming the confinement of spatially hierarchically branched ligand and interface configuration. Moreover, interfacial charge transport efficiency is finely tuned by the interface configuration engineering. The active species in the multifarious photoreactions were unveiled, and a linker-triggered photoredox catalysis mechanism was put forward. It is hoped that our current work would afford new strategies for strategically constructing metal/semiconductor heterostructures for versatile photocatalytic applications.

Mechanistic Insights into TiO2 and ZnO Nanoparticle-Induced Metabolic Changes in Escherichia coli Under Solar Simulated Light Irradiation

This study investigated the metabolic response of E. coli after exposure to TiO2 and ZnO NPs under solar simulated irradiation. A total of 14 altered metabolites involved in two metabolic pathways were recognized using multivariate analysis. Polyamine, putrescine was elevated in ZnO-treated group, as an adaptation to oxidative stress in cells, whereas it was significantly reduced in TiO2-treated group. Glycine levels also were elevated in both the treatment groups, showing cellular protection in cells after exposure. In addition, glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism were altered in ZnO and TiO2-treated groups respectively.

Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) Decorated Bi2O3-x Hybrid Photocatalysts with Promising NIR-Light-Driven Photodegradation Activity for AO7

In this work, Bi2O3-x with surface oxygen vacancies was prepared through the NaBH4 reduction of Bi2O3. After that, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were deposited onto the surface of the Bi2O3-x to obtain a series of the CQDs/Bi2O3-x composites. The HRTEM and XPS characterizations of the CQDs/Bi2O3-x composites suggest that the thickness of surface oxygen vacancies could be adjusted by changing the concentration of NaBH4 solution, and the intimate contact between CQDs and the Bi2O3-x is achieved. Acid orange 7 (AO7) was adopted as the target reactant for investigating the photocatalytic degradation activities of the CQDs/Bi2O3-x composites under simulated sunlight and NIR light irradiation. It is found that the photocatalytic activities of the samples are closely related to the concentration of NaBH4 and content of CQDs. The Bi2O3-x samples exhibit enhanced simulated-sunlight-driven photocatalytic activity compared with Bi2O3. Specifically, the optimal degradation efficiency of AO7 is achieved over the 3R-Bi2O3-x (concentration of NaBH4: 3 mmol/L), which is 1.38 times higher than the degradation AO7 efficiency over Bi2O3. After the decoration of the 3R-Bi2O3-x surface with CQDs, the simulated-sunlight-driven photocatalytic activity of the CQDs/Bi2O3-x composite could be further enhanced. Among the samples, the 15C/3R-Bi2O3-x sample reveals the highest photocatalytic activity, leading to an AO7 degradation percentage of ~97% after 60 min irradiation. Different from Bi2O3 and the 3R-Bi2O3-x, the 15C/3R-Bi2O3-x sample also exhibits near-infrared (NIR)-light-driven photocatalytic degradation activity. In addition, the intrinsic photocatalytic activity of CQDs/Bi2O3-x composite was further confirmed by the degradation of phenol under simulated sunlight and NIR light irradiation. The photocurrent response and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements confirm the efficient migration and separation of photogenerated charges in the CQDs/Bi2O3-x samples. The •OH and h+ are proved to be the main reactive species in the simulated sunlight and NIR light photocatalytic processes over the CQDs/Bi2O3-x composites. According to the above experiments, the photocatalytic degradation mechanisms of the CQDs/Bi2O3-x composites under simulated sunlight and NIR light illumination were proposed.

Effect of Size and Crystalline Phase of TiO₂ Nanoparticles on Photocatalytic Inactivation of Escherichia coli.

We studied the size dependent toxicity of TiO₂ nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs; 5-50 nm) of the anatase and rutile crystalline phases (including the mixture of anatase and rutile) against the model organism Escherichia coli. All the TiO₂ NPs were characterized and their photocatalytic inactivation of E. coli was studied under the solar simulated light irradiation and dark conditions. In addition, the mechanism of toxicity was studied by measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), an indicator of oxidative stress. Rutile TiO₂ NPs (TiO₂-R-30 nm) of 30 nm showed the highest photocatalytic activity against E. coli (LC50 of 14.11 mg/L), followed by rutile TiO₂ NPs (TiO₂-R-50 nm) (LC50 of 35.96 mg/L). The anatase and rutile mixture of 20 nm size produced LC50 of 17.12 and 27.26 mg/L for A80%-R20% and A20%-R80% respectively, whereas none of the anatase TiO₂ NPs with various sizes (5 nm, 15 nm and 30 nm) showed any toxicity against E. coli. The results indicate that the rutile had higher photocatalytic activity than anatase and the toxicity is size dependent, while the mixture of anatase and rutile had the median toxicity. Hydroxyl radical formation is the major ROS causing oxidative stress in E. coli, the primary mechanism of toxicity.

Enhancement of photocatalytic H2 evolution from water splitting by construction of two dimensional gC3N4/NiAl layered double hydroxides

Photocatalytic water splitting is a direct and potential approach to generate hydrogen (H2), but it is very difficult to find the ideal semiconducting materials with maximum photocatalytic water splitting efficiency. Herein, we synthesized 2D/2D heterojunction of NiAl-LDH/gC3N4 nanocomposite by in situ hydrothermal method and demonstrated their photocatalytic performance for H2 evolution from water splitting under simulated light irradiation. The optimized NiAl-LDH/gC3N4 nanocomposites showed the H2 evolution rate of 3170 µmol h−1 g−1, the highest value so far reported for NiAl-LDH family. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency is attributed to the formation of 2D/2D heterojunction in NiAL-LDH/gC3N4 nanocomposite, leading to excellent electron-hole separation under light illumination, which increases the electron conductivity in the composite. Present work provides the new insights for the design of layered double hydroxides based 2D/2D heterojunction as a high-performance photocatalyst for H2 evolution from water splitting.

UV-light-driven photocatalytic degradation and antimicrobial properties of efficient ternary semiconductor CdxAg1–xS nanocomposites

The objective of this research was to prepare and characterize the solvent-free ternary semiconductor CdxAg1–xS nanocomposites as photocatalysts by a simple hydrothermal method using without any surfactant. We have accessed the photocatalytic ability of the prepared composites in the degradation of pesticides under simulated UV light irradiation. The Cd0.5Ag0.5S composites show a significant photocatalytic activity, higher than the bare CdS and Ag2S samples. It indicates that the heterostructured combination of Ag and CdS provides synergistic photocatalytic activity through an efficient electron transfer process. The stability and reusability assays indicated that the Cd0.5Ag0.5S composite retained more than 90% of activity after five cycles of use. On the basis of the results, a possible photocatalytic mechanism of the prepared samples was proposed. The synthesized CdS, Ag2S, and Cd0.5Ag0.5S samples were screened against selected bacterial and fungal species. The investigated results confirm the synthesized Cd0.5Ag0.5S is a potential candidate for antimicrobial activity applications.

Novel magnetically separable of Fe3O4/Ag3PO4@WO3 nanocomposites for enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)

BackgroundIron oxide nanocomposites have received a great attention for their application in various fields like physics, medicine, biology, and material science etc., due to their unique properties, such as magnetism, electrical properties, small size, biocompatibility and low toxicity.MethodsFe3O4/Ag3PO4@WO3 nanocomposites with different weight percent of Ag3PO4 were successfully prepared through fabricated Ag3PO4/Fe3O4 with WO3 via in situ fabrication method, electrospinning involved precursor solution preparation and spinning to enhance photocatalyst performance under simulated sunlight for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).ResultsThe photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under simulated light irradiation indicated that the nanocomposite with 0.25 mg of Ag3PO4 has the best activity. An additional advantage of these photocatalysts is magnetic recoverability, using external magnetic field and photocatalytic stability of the nanocomposites was evaluated for three cycles. In addition, using different scavengers, holes (h+) and superoxide radical (O2·−) radicals and hydroxide radical (·OH) were identified the main oxidative species in the degradation reaction of methylene blue.ConclusionsThe results reveal that Fe3O4/Ag3PO4@WO3-0.25 nanocomposites have photocatalytic and antibacterial activity against S. aureus. The photocatalyst and mechanism based on the enhancement of electron transfer processes between Ag3PO4 and WO3 nanoparticles.

Synthesis and characterization of Sm3+-doped barium stannate down-conversion nanocrystals and its application in dye-sensitized solar cells

Sm3+-doped barium stannate (BaSnO3:Sm3+) down-conversion particle was prepared via a sol-gel method with SnCl4·5H2O, BaCO3 and Sm(NO3)3 as raw materials followed by an annealing process. Differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the formation of BaSnO3:Sm3+ nanocrystals with a typical perovskite structure. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicated that the as-prepared BaSnO3:Sm3+ nanocrystals could convert UV-light to yellow light at 587 nm and effectively widen the spectra response ranges of the DSSC to the ultraviolet region. The photoelectric properties of the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on BaSnO3:Sm3+ photo-anodes were also investigated. The BaSnO3:Sm3+ down-conversion photo-anodes showed a much greater photovoltaic efficiency compared with the photo-anode of BaSnO3 without rear earth (RE). The photoelectric conversion efficiency of the DSSCs based on BaSnO3:Sm3+ photo-anode doping Sm3+ of 1mol% was almost twice higher than that based on pure BaSnO3 photo-anode under the simulated light irradiation.

Preparation of highly efficient and magnetically recyclable Fe3O4@C@Ru nanocomposite for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in visible light

Herein, a kind of Fe3O4@C@Ru hybrid nanocomposites was successfully synthesized by a three-step process. The as-prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectrometry and photoluminescence emission spectrometry. The Ru nanoparticles loaded on the surface of carbon shell on Fe3O4@C nanospheres were nearly spherical with an average diameter of less than 5 nm. The photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) was carried out under the irradiation of simulated visible light to investigate the catalytic activity of the introduced nanomaterial. The results showed that the catalytic activity of Fe3O4@C@Ru nanocomposites in the MB photodegradation was higher than that of Fe3O4 nanospheres or of Fe3O4@C nanospheres, as they could degrade 92.70% of the dye in 140 min of simulated sunlight irradiation without any other oxidant or reductant. The photodegradation reaction was first-order with the rate constant of 0.0176 min−1 at room temperature. The degradation rate of Fe3O4@C@Ru nanocomposites decreased very slightly after five cycles. Furthermore, they could be easily separated and recycled by using an external magnet. It indicated that the magnetically recoverable Fe3O4@C@Ru nanocomposites had a very broad application prospect in the field of environmental protection.

BiOBr flakes decoration and structural modification for CdTe/TiO2 spheres: Towards water decontamination under simulated light irradiation

Utilizing more solar energy and suppressing recombination of photo-induced charges are primary issues for photocatalyst's design. In this work, BiOBr was introduced into CdTe/TiO2 to construct a novel ternary BiOBr/CdTe/TiO2 composite via a facile solvothermal method. The composition, morphologies, optical properties, specific area, and photocatalytic performances were all investigated in detail. The heterojunction among three-dimensional TiO2 particles, BiOBr and CdTe acts an interfacial channel to boost the charges migration. As a result, the ternary BiOBr/CdTe/TiO2 heterojunctions exhibited higher visible light photocatalytic activities on photo-decolorization of methyl orange (MO) than the pure TiO2 and the binary CdTe/TiO2 and BiOBr/TiO2. Furthermore, the ternary BiOBr/CdTe/TiO2 composites were converted into hollow structure, and showed the better photocatalytic performance, reaching 75% degradation towards MO in 120 min. This study provided an attractive thought to design highly efficient photocatalysts, which possessed a promising for wastewater purification.

Synthesis and photoelectrochemical properties of CoOOH/phosphorus-doped hematite photoanodes for solar water oxidation

In order to improve the carrier mobility and restrain the charge recombination of hematite (α-Fe2O3) for water oxidation performance, a P-doped and CoOOH modified α-Fe2O3 electrode was synthesized using a hydrothermal method and photo-assisted electrodeposition process. The as-obtained CoOOH/P:Fe2O3 photoelectrode presented a significant enhancement in the PEC current density, conversion efficiency and stability for water oxidation with simulated light irradiation. The photocurrent density of CoOOH/P:Fe2O3 photoanode is up to 1.11 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which is 1.65, 2.02 and 2.78 times higher than those of P:Fe2O3, CoOOH/Fe2O3 and pristine α-Fe2O3, respectively. The significantly improved PEC performance is attributed to the enhanced conductivity in α-Fe2O3 electrode and improved interfacial charge transfer at the surface of α-Fe2O3, from the synergistic effects of P-doping and CoOOH modification. Our results proposed a new paradigm to construct hybrid photoanode materials with high activity, conversion efficiency and stability for PEC water oxidation.

Surface-disorder-engineering-induced enhancement in the photocatalytic activity of Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets

NaBH4 reduction method has been used to create surface disorder on Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets with the aim of enhancing their photocatalytic activity. The NaBH4-treated Bi4Ti3O12 samples were systemati-cally investigated by XRD, TEM, BET, XPS, UV-vis DRS, EIS and transient photocurrent response. It is disclosed that disordered surface layer associated with oxygen vacancy defects is obviously formed on the surface of Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets, and simultaneously surface defect states are introduced in the forbidden gap of Bi4Ti3O12. The NaBH4-treated Bi4Ti3O12 samples display enhanced visible-light absorption. The photocatalytic performance of the samples was investigated by the degradation of RhB under irradiation of simulated sunlight, UV light and visible light. It is found that the NaBH4-treated Bi4Ti3O12 samples exhibit a significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity under UV irradi-ation. The sample treated at 0.1 M NaBH4 solution shows the highest UV photocatalytic activity, about 1.9 times higher than that of pristine Bi4Ti3O12. This is ascribed to the fact that the induced sur-face defect states can act as electron acceptors and thus facilitates the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Moreover, the NaBH4-treated Bi4Ti3O12 samples also display a slightly enhanced photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation, which is due to the enhanced visible light absorption induced by the surface defect states.

Charge transfer modulation in layer-by-layer-assembled multilayered photoanodes for solar water oxidation

Two spatially separated charge transfer channels were constructed in multilayered photoanodes for efficient solar water oxidation under both simulated and visible light irradiation.

Spatial charge separation on strongly coupled 2D-hybrid of rGO/La2Ti2O7/NiFe-LDH heterostructures for highly efficient noble metal free photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Developing photocatalysts with effective charge separation and fast surface reaction kinetics is crucial to realizing efficient photocatalytic water splitting. In this study, we report a strongly coupled two-dimensional-ternary-heterostructured photocatalyst by sequentially introducing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and NiFe-layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) on the surface of lanthanum titanate (LTO) via a facile hydrothermal and electrostatic self-assembly methodology, respectively. The synthesized 2D-rGO/LTO/NiFe-LDH photocatalyst showed remarkable photocatalytic H2 evolution activity under simulated light irradiation, even without expensive Pt cocatalyst. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the efficient interfacial charge transfer at the rGO/LTO heterojunction interface, and the enhanced hole (h+) trapping ability of NiFe-LDH cocatalyst at the LTO/NiFe-LDH interface, respectively. These attributes could effectively enlarge the life time of photo-generated electron-hole pairs, and increase the electron density for hydrogen production. The optimal rGO/LTO/NiFe-LDH nanocomposite remain sustained even after four successive experimental runs, without apparent change in the H2 evolution rate. The present work elucidates a new strategy to maximize the efficiency via synergetic effect of incorporating rGO and NiFe-LDH as dual cocatalysts, and shows a feasible strategy of using earth-abundant materials as cocatalysts to enhance the overall photocatalytic water splitting reactions.

Heterostructured SnS2/SnO2 nanotubes with enhanced charge separation and excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production

SnO2, a promising candidate for photocatalytic water splitting, displays poor activity due to insufficient light utilization and rapid electron-hole recombination of charge carriers. Herein, one-dimensional heterostructures of SnO2/SnS2 nanotubes was designed and synthesized through a facile electrospinning followed by vulcanized method. The unique heterostructured SnO2/SnS2 could simultaneously promote photocarrier transport and suppress charge recombination through the uniquely coupled SnO2/SnS2 heterogeneous interface. Additionally, the optimized type-II heterostructure could also improve light absorption and weak the barrier of photocharge transfer. As a result, the SnO2/SnS2 exhibited excellent photocatalytic H2 evolution performance under simulated light irradiation with high H2 production rate of 50 μmol h−1 without the use of any noble metal co-catalyst, which is 4.2 times higher than that of pure SnO2 under the same condition.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of surface disorder-engineered CaTiO3

In this work, we attempted to create surface disorder on CaTiO3 nanocuboids by NaBH4 treatment with the aim of enhancing the photocatalytic activity. The samples were systematically investigated by XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, XPS, UV–vis DRS, PL, EIS and photocurrent response. The photocatalytic activity of the samples were evaluated by degrading RhB under irradiation of simulated sunlight, UV and visible light. It is demonstrated that NaBH4-treated CaTiO3 samples exhibit an obviously enhanced photocatalytic activity. In particular, the sample treated at 0.1 M NaBH4 solution has a photocatalytic activity ca. 2.0 times higher than pristine CaTiO3. This is ascribed to the fact that the created surface disorder facilitates the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and thus more photogenerated holes are able to participate in the photocatalytic reactions.

Rapid synthesis of rutile TiO2 nano-flowers by dealloying Cu60Ti30Y10 metallic glasses

Abstract The 3D nanostructure rutile TiO 2 photocatalyst was rapidly synthesized by dealloying method using Cu 60 Ti 30 Y 10 amorphous ribbons as precursors. The preparation period was kept down to just 3 h, which is much shorter than those of the samples by dealloying Cu 60 Ti 30 Al 10 , Cu 70 Ti 30 and Cu 60 Ti 30 Sn 10 . The synthesized sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD and XPS reveal the successful synthesis of rutile TiO 2 . The SEM and TEM images show that the synthesized rutile TiO 2 nano-material presents homogeneous distributed 3D nanoflowers structure, which is composed of large quantities of fine rice-like nanorods (40–150 nm in diameter and 100–250 nm in length). BET specific surface areas of the samples were investigated by N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, the fabricated rutile TiO 2 exhibits very high specific surface area (194.08 m 2 /g). The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by degrading rhodamine B (RhB) dye (10 mg/L) under the irradiation of both simulated visible light (λ > 420 nm) and ultraviolet (UV) light (λ = 365 nm). The results show that the photocatalytic activity of rutile TiO 2 prepared by dealloying Cu 60 Ti 30 Y 10 amorphous ribbons is higher than those of commercial rutile and the sample synthesized by dealloying Cu 70 Ti 30 precursors. The advantages of both short preparation period and superior photocatalytic activity suggest that Cu 60 Ti 30 Y 10 metallic glasses are really a kind of perfect titanium source for rapidly fabricating high efficient TiO 2 nano-materials. In addition, the influence of chemical composition of the amorphous precursors on preparation period of the rutile TiO 2 nano-material was investigated from the point of view of standard electrode potentials.