Superior Photoactivity Research Articles

Improved photoelectrode performance of chemical solution-derived Bi2O3 crystals via manipulation of crystal characterization.

Three-dimensional Bi2O3 crystals with various morphologies were successfully synthesized on F-doped tin oxide substrates with and without homoseed layers via chemical bath deposition (CBD) routes. The structural analysis reveals that control of the pH value of the reaction solution resulted in as-grown Bi2O3 crystals with nanosheet and plate morphologies. A lower pH value of the reaction solution engendered formation of a porous sheet-like morphology of Bi2O3; by contrast, a higher pH value of the reaction solution is favorable for formation of solid Bi2O3 plates on the substrates. Furthermore, a sputter coated Bi2O3 seed layer with dual α- and β-Bi2O3 phases plays an important role in the CBD-derived Bi2O3 crystallographic structures. The Bi2O3 crystals formed via CBD processes without a sputter coated Bi2O3 homoseed layer demonstrated a high purity in β-Bi2O3 phase; those grown with a homoseed layer exhibited a dual α/β phase. The photoactive performance results show that construction of an α/β-Bi2O3 homojunction in the CBD-derived Bi2O3 crystals substantially improved their photoactive performance. Comparatively, the porous Bi2O3 nanosheets with a dual α/β-Bi2O3 phase demonstrated the highest photoactive performance among various Bi2O3 crystals in this study. The superior photoactivity of the porous α/β-Bi2O3 nanosheets herein is attributed to their high light absorption capacity and photoinduced charge separation efficiency. The experimental results in this study provide a promising approach to design CBD-derived Bi2O3 crystals with desirable photoelectric conversion functions via facile morphology control and seed layer crystal engineering.

Explicating charge transfer dynamics in anodic TiO2/ZnO/Zn photocatalytic fuel cell for ameliorated palm oil mill effluent treatment and synchronized energy generation

A sustainable green device known as photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) uses organics found in wastewater as fuel for the energy conversion. Hence, the effective PFC constructing from anodic TiO2/ZnO/Zn and cathodic TiO2/CuO/Cu was proposed for refractory palm oil mill effluent (POME) removal as well as energy recovery. Among the as-prepared photoanodes, anodic ZnO/Zn coated with 2 layers of TiO2 (TZ2) showed high crystallinity, low band gap, appropriate hydroxyl group and interfacial charge carrier separation that enable its superior photoactivity, which presented an enhancement of 3.67 times and 4.64 times in photocatalytic and energy performance over pristine ZnO/Zn. Among several examined influential parameters, the electrolyte concentration was the most influential factor due to its provision of OH− ions that can capture the photogenerated holes to enhance the electron-hole pair separation. The optimized system reached 90 % of COD removal efficiency of POME. Furthermore, an open circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current density (Jsc) and power density (Pmax) of 1173 mV, 0.2652 mA cm-2 and 0.0734 mW cm-2 was achieved, respectively. The photoanode maintained high recyclability performance after repeated experimental cycles. In-depth mechanism investigations confirmed that the marked cell performance was attributed to not only the accelerated charge carrier separation due to deposition of TiO2 onto ZnO/Zn as verified by the photoelectrochemical tests, but also the dominant active species, including hydroxyl (OH) radicals and hole (h+) found in the radical trapping study. The assessed electrical energy efficiency of PFC using anodic TZ2 manifested reduced energy consumption of 1.77 times as compared to PFC using pristine anodic ZnO. The toxicity experiments via wild algae indicated reduction in toxicity. This work advances the practical application of promising PFC for environmental protection and energy recovery.

Scalable Route toward Superior Photoresponse of UV-Laser-Treated TiO2 Nanotubes.

Titanium dioxide nanotubes gain considerable attention as a photoactive material due to chemical stability, photocorrosion resistance, or low-cost manufacturing method. This work presents scalable pulsed laser modification of TiO2 nanotubes resulting in enhanced photoactivity in a system equipped with a motorized table, which allows for modifications of both precisely selected and any-large sample area. Images obtained from scanning electron microscopy along with Raman and UV-vis spectra of laser-treated samples in a good agreement indicate the presence of additional laser-induced shallow states within band gap via degradation of crystalline structure. However, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra revealed no change of chemical nature of the modified sample surface. Photoelectrochemical measurements demonstrate superior photoresponse of laser-treated samples up to 1.45-fold for an energy beam fluence of 40 mJ/cm2 compared to that of calcined one. According to the obtained results, optimal processing parameters were captured. Mott-Schottky analysis obtained from impedance measurements indicates an enormous (over an order of magnitude) increase of donor density along with a +0.74 V positive shift of flat band potential. Such changes in electronic structure are most likely responsible for enhanced photoactivity. Thus, the elaborated method of laser nanostructuring can be successfully employed to the large-scale modification of titania nanotubes resulting in their superior photoactivity. According to that, the results of our work provide a contribution to wider applications of materials based on titania nanotubes.

Pyrolysis‐Synthesized g‐C3N4/Nb2O5 Nanocomposite for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under White LED Light Irradiation

AbstractThe design and fabrication of highly active visible‐light‐driven photocatalysts have been received considerable attention in recent years. However, individual component‐based photocatalysts are limited in their use because of the high recombination of photoinduced carriers and poor chemical stability. Herein, the Z‐scheme‐originated photocatalytic activity of in‐situ deposited Nb2O5 NPs on the plane surface of carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) nanosheets (i. e. CN‐NbO) heterostructures was studied using a simple thermal pyrolysis method. The as‐synthesized photocatalysts distinctly manifested efficient white light‐emitting diode (LED) light irradiation toward organic malachite green (MG) dye degradation and photocatalytic hydrogen generation. The CN‐NbO heterostructure showed a faster degradation rate of the MG dye and a higher photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate. In addition, the plausible Z‐scheme photocatalytic mechanism for photocatalytic hydrogen production under LED light irradiation was discussed. Photoelectrochemcial studies showed that the superior photoactivity of CN‐NbO heterostructure is mainly a result of the suitable alignment of the band edge positions, which diminish carrier recombination and facilitate efficient interfacial charge transport at their interface. This study provides an ideal method for in‐situ fabrication of novel two dimensional/one dimension‐based photocatalysts with high activity and stable performance for photocatalytic hydrogen generation.

Stepwise construction of Pt decorated oxygen-deficient mesoporous titania microspheres with core-shell structure and magnetic separability for efficient visible-light photocatalysis

Solid photocatalysts with high specific surface area, superior photoactivity and ease of recycling are highly desired in chemical process, water treatment and so on. In this study, a facile stepwise sol-gel coating approach was utilized to synthesize Pt decorated oxygen-deficient mesoporous titania microspheres with core-shell structure and convenient magnetic separability (denoted as Fe3O4@SiO2@Pt/mTiO2-x). These photocatalysts consist of magnetic Fe3O4 cores, nonporous insulating SiO2 middle layer and mesoporous anatase TiO2-x shell decorated by Pt nanoparticles (∼3.5 nm) through wet impregnation and H2 reduction. As a result of high activity of oxygen-deficiency of black TiO2-x by H2 reduction and efficient inhibition of electron-hole recombination by Pt nanoparticles, the rationally designed core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2@Pt/mTiO2-x photocatalysts exhibit superior photocatalytic performance in rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under visible light irradiation, with more than 98% of RhB degraded within 50 min. These core-shell structured photocatalysts show excellent recyclability under the assistance of magnetic separation with well-retained photocatalytic performance even after running five cycles. This stepwise synthesis method paves the way for the rational design of a high-efficiency recyclable heterogeneous catalyst, including photocatalysts, for various applications.

Effect of variable oxidation states of Mn+n ion impregnated TiO2 nanocomposites for superior adsorption and photoactivity under visible light

This paper deals with the importance of oxidation state and ionic size of Mn(II) and Mn(VII) co-catalyst impregnated TiO2 for the observed electrokinetic, adsorption and photocatalytic properties of Mn+n-TiO2 nanocomposites. Due to difference in net electronic charge and ionic size of Mn(II) and Mn(VII) ions, the zeta potential, streaming potential and surface charge demand of Mn(II)–TiO2 and Mn(VII)–TiO2 nanocomposites are greatly varied. The absorption edge of Mn+n-TiO2 nanocatalysts revealed the red shift (515–550 nm) with increased oxidation state (from II to VII) of Mn+n due to 6A1g → 4T1g transition. The photoluminescence (404–530 nm) of Mn(II)–TiO2 is highly quenched relative to Mn(VII)–TiO2 during 340 nm excitation. Further, the HRTEM analysis confirmed the presence of Mn(VII) (∼20–45 nm) and Mn(II) (∼40–60 nm) nanodeposits over TiO2 surface. Binding energies at 639.1 and 640.3 eV showed the presence of Mn in (0) and (II) oxidation state for Mn(II)–TiO2 and 646 eV alongwith a satellite peak for Mn(VII)–TiO2 co-catalyst. As a result, the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of cationic (Fuchsin blue and methylene blue) and anionic (Salicylic acid and Salicylaldehyde) pollutants by Mn+n-TiO2 nanocomposites are notably improved relative to bare TiO2 depending on their respective oxidation state and surface morphological features.

One-pot synthesis of 3D flower-like Bi2S3/BiOCl heterostructures at room temperature with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Abstract It is highly desired yet challenging to controllably synthesize heterostructures with well-defined architectures via a facile method at mild conditions. Herein, 3D flower-like Bi2S3/BiOCl heterostructures (BS) were successfully constructed via a one-pot solution-chemistry method at room temperature. It is noteworthy that these 3D flower-like heterostructures exhibit distinctly superior photoactivity for Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under visible light irradiation. Four-fold higher activity of BS than BiOCl is readily ascribed to the formation of heterostructure, which facilitates the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the production of active O2 − and h+ species.

Facile fabrication of heterogeneous TiO2/BiOCl composite with superior visible-light-driven performance towards Cr(VI) and tetracycline

Heavy metals and antibiotics are known for their difficulty of removal and enormous harmful intermediates released during degradation as well as the great threat to the health of human beings, which arouses urgent demand for highly efficient photocatalysts as solution. Thus, in this work, TiO2/BiOCl heterogeneous composite was synthesized via a facile and low-cost hydrolysis-precipitation method at room temperature without organic reagent. The characteristic results indicate anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with smaller grain size (around 15 nm) were uniformly dispersed on the surface of BiOCl nanosheets to form the heterogeneous structure. The hybrid catalyst exhibits higher photocatalytic performance for both Cr(VI) and tetracycline, and the synergistic degradation effect is demonstrated in the co-existent system. The superior photoactivity is mainly attributed to the excellent visible light capture capability and effective separation of photogenerated electron-holes pairs. Moreover, the main active radicals for Cr(VI) are photo-induced electrons (e−), and that for tetracycline are superoxide radical (•O2−) and holes (h+). Furthermore, the effect of mass ratio of TiO2 and BiOCl on the photocatalytic performance was discussed and a speculated degradation mechanism was also proposed. In summary, this work would provide significant meaningful guidance for the development of Ti-based composites in the field of wastewater treatment.

Highly-efficient photocatalytic generation of superoxide radicals by phase-pure rutile TiO2 nanoparticles for azo dye removal

The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 polymorphs has been frequently debated in literature. Numerous studies reported that rutile TiO2 exhibits low photocatalytic activity, and it is generally accepted that rutile has lower photoactivity than the anatase phase. Herein, we studied the photocatalytic activity of phase-pure rutile TiO2 nanoparticles prepared via microwave-assisted hydrothermal method (MW-R NPs). The syntheses were performed with relatively short reaction time (1−3h) at 180 °C using a microwave digestion system. The samples were characterized in detail and then tested in the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO). We demonstrate that the photodegradation of MO with MW-R NPs is highly efficient in the presence of H2O2. By employing 4.4 mM H2O2, ~90% of total decolorization was achieved after 2 min of UV-A irradiation. At the same experimental conditions, MO degradation with Degussa P25 TiO2 was only ~7%. The superior photoactivity of MW-R NPs was related to the effective photogeneration of O2•− radicals as revealed by EPR investigation. These rutile nanoparticles are excellent photocatalysts in the presence of H2O2, signifying that this oxygen source react easily with the photogenerated holes on the MW-R NPs, and thus the interfacial charge transfer lead to the formation of a large amount of O2•− radicals.

Synergy of Ti-O-based heterojunction and hierarchical 1D nanobelt/3D microflower heteroarchitectures for enhanced photocatalytic tetracycline degradation and photoelectrochemical water splitting

Solar-driven photocatalytic pollutant degradation and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting are promising approaches for green environmental remediation and solar energy conversion. In this work, novel hierarchical 1D K2Ti6O13 nanobelt/3D TiO2 microflower heteroarchitectures were controllably synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route. The optimal K2Ti6O13/TiO2 hybrids exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than single catalysts and good stability for tetracycline (TC) degradation. The removal of TC was also evaluated at different catalyst dosage, temperature, pH and concentration of TC solutions. The contributions of radical species for TC degradation followed a sequence of OH > h+ > O2−. The intermediates and degradation pathway of TC were determined by LC-MS analysis. Furthermore, significantly enhanced PEC responses of K2Ti6O13/TiO2 composites were also observed compared with the single components, fully proved by open-circuit potential, LSV, transient photocurrent and EIS analysis. Such superior photoactivities were mainly attributed to the synergistic effects between the strongly coupled K2Ti6O13/TiO2 heterojunctions and hierarchical 1D/3D micro-nano architectures, including larger surface area, increased light adsorption and charge separation efficiency. Overall, this work offers a controllable strategy to design novel Ti-O-based heterostructures with hierarchical micro-nano architectures and outstanding performance for photocatalytic and PEC applications.

Carbon xerogel/Carbon Nanotubes Nanohybrid Doped with Ti for Removal of Methylene Blue Dye

A facile technology for decorating carbon xerogel (CX) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to prepare carbonaceous nanohybrid (CX-CNTs) was simultaneously implemented during carbonization of resorcinol-formaldehyde xerogel at 1123K meanwhile camphor as carbon nanotubes source is heated at 523K. Then the prepared CX-CNTs hybrid is doped with tetrabutyl orthotitanate as a titanium (Ti) precursor giving CX-CNTs-Ti nanohybrid used as an efficient photocatalyst. The morphology and textural properties of the samples were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), High resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm at 77K. The adsorption and photocatalytic properties of these samples toward methylene blue dye (MB) were performed. FE-SEM and TEM approved the formation of CNTs over the surface of CX and the developed nanohybrids have mesoporous structures. The adsorption efficiency of CX-CNTs and CX-CNTs-Ti samples was found to be 70 and 86.8% along 180 min, respectively. Under visible irradiation, the removal efficiency of CX-CNTs and CX-CNTs-Ti is enhanced to 90 and 99% at 60 min, respectively. Thus, CX-CNTs-Ti nanohybrid exhibited superior adsorptivity and photoactivity for removing MB dye as a result of the presence of Ti particles over CX-CNTs matrix. Doping CX-CNTs with Ti particles led to a decrease in the specific surface area and to enhance in both the total pore volume and amount of wider pores. Therefore, the reported CX-CNTs-Ti nanohybrid exhibits as an effective adsorbent and photocatalyst toward the removal of the MB dye from their aqueous solutions.

Efficient hydrogen production by selective alcohol photoreforming on plasmonic photocatalyst comprising sandwiched Au nanodisks and TiO2

A nanocomposite comprising gold nanodisks (Au NDs) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanophases sandwiched between zeolite nanosheets was fabricated for hydrogen production by plasmonic photocatalytic reforming of methanol. The inter-sheet space between zeolite nanosheets served as nanoconfinement for forming the edge-attached domains of Au NDs/TiO2. Benefiting from the anisotropic shape of Au NDs and their edge attachment with TiO2, the nanocomposite exhibited superior photoactivity for visible light (>400 nm)-driven photoreforming of methanol and the hydrogen production rate was ˜ 24 times higher than that of the benchmark Au@P25 photocatalyst. Moreover, experimental results suggest that zeolite nanosheets effectively gated the access to the surface of Au NDs and allowed only methanol but not higher alcohols to react to produce hydrogen. Gradual deactivation was observed during methanol photoreforming, a phenomenon shown to be attributed to the chemisorbed CO accumulated on Au in the absence of oxygen.

Synthesis of Titania nanotubes/polyaniline via rotating bed-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition for enhanced visible light photodegradation

This study employed rotating bed plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique to coat a thin polymeric film of polyaniline (PANI) onto titania nanotubes (TNT). The effect of plasma power on the growth of thin film polymer on the photocatalyst surface was investigated. Transmission electron microscope micrographs evidenced the formation of thin polymeric layers on TNT surface. Fourier-transform infrared spectra confirmed the presence of functional groups associated with PANI. The band gap of coated photocatalyst reduced from 3.23 eV to 2.54 eV, implying the photosensitivity of TNT-PANI in visible light range, while photoluminescence spectra showed that PANI coated TNT exhibited lower recombination rates. The photocatalytic performance of the resultant TNT-PANI titania were evaluated under both UV and visible light irradiation using reactive black 5 (RB 5) as the model pollutant. Unlike TNT which could only be activated under UV light, TNT-PANI coated using a plasma power of 50 W exhibited superior photoactivity under both ultraviolet (UV) and visible light irradiation. The incorporation of PANI enhanced UV light photodegradation performance, where reaction rate improved to 0.615 ppm min−1and three times higher compared to uncoated TNT. The best sample TNT-PANI 50 W exhibited promising photodegradation efficiency of 56.4% within 240 min of visible light irradiation.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Fabrication of Hexagonal Disc Shaped Nanoparticles g-C3N4/NiO Heterostructured Nanocomposites for Efficient Visible Light Photocatalytic Performance

A hexagonal shaped nickel oxide/graphitic carbon nitride (NiO/g-C3N4) heterojunction composite was synthesized via a facile microwave irradiation route joint with succeeding calcination process. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, Raman, UV–DRS, PL and BET analysis. XRD and TEM results exposed that cubic structure and with two dimensional hexagonal discs shaped morphology with sizes in the range of 30–40 nm. The incorporation of g-C3N4 caused a red-shift of the UV–Vis absorption edge of NiO. Moreover, exfoliation of bulk g-C3N4 into two dimensional g-C3N4 nanodiscs offers large surface area (102 m2/g) and exposed active sites, which are beneficial for photocatalytic activity enhancement. The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts was analyzed by degradation of congo-red and malachite green (MG) under induced visible light irradiation. The results demonstrates that NiO/g-C3N4 with 1.2 mass ratios shows the optimal overall photocatalytic performance such as huge degradation efficiency (97%), high rate constant (0.02012 min−1) and high stability (only loss ~ 3.5) after 7 cycles test (for MG dye). The superior photoactivity of NiO–g-C3N4 photocatalysts possibly will be recognized to the successful interfacial charge transfer between NiO and g-C3N4, thus suppressing the recombination of the photoexcited electron–hole pairs.

Effect of Alloyed BiOClxBr1‐x Nanosheets Thickness on the Photocatalytic Performance

AbstractPromoting the separation of electrons and holes for photocatalysis is still challenging. In this paper, alloyed BiOClxBr1‐x nanosheets are synthesized to enhance the separation of electrons and holes by means of adjusting the thickness and the exposing specific crystal facet of nanosheet. SEM shows that the average thicknesses of samples are in the range of 34.7 to 47.2 nm. TEM analysis demonstrates that alloyed nanosheets obtained by codeposition method at room temperature have an exposure of (001) facet. Compared with pure BiOCl or BiOBr nanosheets, BiOClxBr1‐x nanosheets exhibit a greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity for degrading RhB. In addition, BiOCl0.5Br0.5 (BC5) sample with nanosheet thickness of 34.7 nm displays the highest photocatalytic activity, which is 17‐time higher than that of pure BiOCl or BiOBr nanosheets. The superior photoactivity of BiOClxBr1‐x nanosheets is attributed to the diverse light absorption, alloyed effect and different diffusion distance along [001] orientation. This study presents a 2D photocatalyst for degrading toxic pollutants to remedy environmental pollution. The revealing about the effect of thickness on photocatalytic properties could provide a new method to study the photoelectric properties related to 2D nanomaterials.

Phase and Shape Dependent Photoactivity of Titania for Nitroaromatics Reduction Under UV Light Irradiation.

This work describes importance of TiO₂ nanostructures of different shapes (nanospheres and nanorods) and crystal phases (anatase and rutile) for the photoreduction of nitroaromatics into corresponding aminoaromatics under UV light irradiation. Anatase nanoparticles were most active of all the catalysts due to the superior stability of this phase and comparatively the rutile nanorods (L×W = 28-30 nm×3.5-3.8 nm) showed superior photoactivity (~3 times) as compared to rutile nanospheres of size 122 nm for the photoreduction due to electron transport along longitudinal length, larger surface area (69 m²g-1), quenched PL emission, increased lifetime of charge carriers (1.8 ns) of rutile nanorods as compare to rutile nanospheres having lower surface area (18 m²g-1) and charge carrier lifetime (1.1 ns). The overall rate of reduction/hour for m-NBA and m-NT photoreduction with all of these catalysts has been found to vary in the following order ANP > P25-TiO₂ > RNR > ANR > RNP.

Enhanced photoelectrochemical performance with plasmon-induced hot electron injection of gold nanoparticle

Due to the capacity of efficiently harvesting and converting light energy, the property of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the noble metal is employed as an efficient assistant in photoelectrochemical water splitting. In this study, the Au nanoparticles (NPs) were modified on the 1D ordered structure as the active sites of the SPR effect for the plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic performance. A maximum current density of 4.45 mA cm−2 at 1.2 V (versus RHE) was obtained in alkaline solution without a sacrificial agent for the ZnO–CdS–Au photoelectrode, which was 1.48 times higher than that of the ZnO–CdS nanorods without Au decoration, as well as the ~235% enhancement of the photoconversion efficiency. Compared to similar nanostructures previously reported, the present superior photoactivity response was ascribed to the injection process of the energetic hot electrons generated through the excitation and decay of surface plasmons in the Au NPs, resulting in the efficient separation and migration of photogenerated electron–hole pairs in ternary nanorod arrays. These excellent results have expanded the comprehensive understanding of hot electron migration in plasmonic NP-semiconductor nanocomposite, and provided a promising strategy for the rational design of the plasmonic-enhanced photocatalyst.

Sequential precipitation design of novel high-efficiency flowerlike BiOBr(x)-Mn3O4(100-x) nanoheterojunction with superior solar-light photo-activity in water treatment

This research presents a novel p-BiOBr-p-Mn3O4 heterostructure nanophotocatalyst fabricated via a simple precipitation deposition route. Various characterization techniques, including XRD, FESEM, DRS, EDX, FTIR, TEM, BET-BJH, PL and PSD have been used to investigate the optical and physicochemical features of the samples. Degradation of acid orange 7 (AO7) was applied in order to investigate the photoactivity of as-synthesized nanophotocatalysts under simulated sunlight irradiation at room temperature. It was disclosed that deal of Mn3O4 is a deciding factor in the photocatalytic properties of BiOBr-Mn3O4. The optimum percentage of Mn3O4 in the samples was situated at 10 (wt.%) content, which exhibited superior photoactivity in comparison to other corresponding samples or pure samples with almost 97% AO7 degradation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of BiOBr(90)-Mn3O4(10) is ascribed to the separation efficiency of the carriers. Additionally the effects of catalyst loading, pH, dye concentration were investigated for the nanophotocatalyst with optimum weight percentage.

The Potential of ZrO2 Catalyst Toward Degradation of Dyes and Phenolic Compound

Abstract A ZrO2 catalyst was prepared through a simple electrochemical method which resulted in superior photoactivity toward dyes and phenolic compound degradation. An amount of 0.4 g L−1 of ZrO2 catalyst was found to be an optimum dosage for 10 mg L−1 dye and phenol solution, which resulted in nearly complete degradation of dyes and phenol solution (more than 80%) after 1 h of contact time at pH 9 under fluorescent light irradiation. The degradation followed pseudo first–order kinetic rationalized Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. An excellent photo-activity toward degradation of dyes and phenol in aqueous solution promises the ZrO2 catalyst to be used in textiles industry wastewater treatment and also other applications.

Influence of Au/Pd alloy on an amine functionalised ZnCr LDH–MCM-41 nanocomposite: A visible light sensitive photocatalyst towards one-pot imine synthesis

Au/Pd loaded amine functionalised ZnCr LDH–MCM-41 photocatalyst for one-pot imine synthesis.