The gas-photocatalytic degradation of trichloroethylene without water

The photocatalytic degradation of gaseous trichloroethylene (TCE) without water has been studied. The degradation products were determined to be CO₂, HCl and Cl₂, and the reaction stoichiometry, was described as

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. The degradation rate was found to be linear with 0.16 power of the illumination intensity. When the TCE concentration was low (10¹⁴ mol L⁻¹ or a little more), its degradation rate model could be considered as first order kinetics. A mechanism of valence band hole oxidation was proposed.     

Defect-enhanced photocatalytic removal of dimethylarsinic acid over mixed-phase mesoporous TiO2

Much attention has been paid to the pollutant dimethylarsenic acid(DMA),because of its high toxicity even at very low doses.Although TiO_2 photocatalytic oxidation(PCO) is one of the few effective methods for treating DMA-containing water,the efficient decomposition of DMA and simultaneous removal of toxic arsenic species remains a significant but challenging task.Here,defective mesoporous TiO_2 with mixed-phase structure was synthesized and used as both photocatalyst and adsorbent for DMA removal.Due to the reduced band-gap and enhanced separation of photogenerated charge carriers, the oxygen-deficient TiO_2 nanostructures exhibited 4.2 times higher PCO efficiency than commercial TiO_2(P25).More importantly,the high surface area of the mesoporous TiO_2 provided sufficient active sites for in-situ adsorption and reaction,resulting in the efficient removal of as-formed As(V).Combining the experimental and characterization results,the different roles of reactive species during PCO reactions were clarified.In the presence of hole(h~+) as the dominant oxidation species,DMA was demethylated and transformed into MMA.Thereafter,MMA was subsequently reduced to As(Ⅲ) by photo-generated electrons.Superoxide radicals(O_2~(·-)) played a significant role in oxidizing As(Ⅲ) into As(Ⅴ),which was finally adsorptively removed by the mesoporous TiO_2.     

活性炭负载TiO2催化剂对直接耐酸大红4BS溶液的光催化降解研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了活性炭负载型TiO2催化剂,采用了XRD、BET和SEM对催化剂进行表征。研究了催化剂对直接耐酸大红4BS的紫外光催化降解,比较了活性炭、P25和TiO2／AC对4BS溶液的降解能力,探讨了催化剂煅烧温度和投加量以及染料溶液的初始浓度对光催化降解率的影响,并对催化剂进行了回收再生实验。结果表明,500℃下煅烧的TiO2／AC催化剂比表面积为1147．88m^2／g、TiO2粒径为21．9nm、晶相组成以锐钛矿为主,具有良好的光催化活性和稳定性;90min后2g／L催化剂对150mg／L的4BS溶液紫外光催化降解率达到99．8％。     

钐离子掺杂二氧化钛光催化降解甲基橙研究

用溶胶-凝胶法制备了掺杂Sm^3＋的纳米TiO2,用XRD测定了其晶型,并以甲基橙为液相有机污染物实例研究了样品的先催化活性,发现Sm^3＋不能进入TiO2晶格中引起了TiO2晶格膨胀,而形成氧化物覆盖在其表面,Sm^3＋掺杂抑制了TiO2晶相的转变和粒径的增长。活性试验结果表明,Sm^3＋掺杂可提高TiO2的光催化活性,并且当掺杂摩尔分数为1．5％时,先催化活性最好。甲基橙的醌式结构比偶氮结构容易降解。     

锐态型纳米TiO_2光催化处理含镉废水的研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备锐态型纳米TiO2,用XRD、SEM对粉体进行表征。在紫外光的作用下将自制纳米TiO2光催化处理废水中的Cd2+。考察反应时间、pH值、废水负荷、催化剂用量等因素对去除率的影响。实验结果表明:纳米TiO2光催化处理含镉废水的去除率高,含镉废水pH值、废水负荷、纳米二氧化钛浓度以及反应时间等因素影响含镉废水去除率。在优化的处理条件中:废水镉浓度为30mg/L,纳米TiO2投加量为3mg/L,含镉废水的pH为10,反应时间为2.5h,废水中镉的去除率可达99.52%。     

NOx photocatalytic degradation on active concrete road surface — from experiment to real-scale application

The use of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as a photocatalyst in concrete pavements has received considerable attention in recent years due to its ability to decontaminate via photocatalytic processes. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of activated concrete road in the degradation of nitrogen oxides (NO_x). We have used a TiO₂ and activated carbon (AC) permeable spray solution to coat concrete to assess its NO_x purifying ability. A number of experiments were undertaken to ascertain the conditions that affect NO_x purification. Indoor simulation experiments with active concrete road at optimum conditions show that it has good purification ability, self-regeneration and repetition ability, with a minimum decontamination rate for NO and NO₂ of 37.4% and 25.84%, respectively. Outdoor experiments show that the photodegradation of NO_x is related to light intensity and temperature. As the light intensity increases the reaction rate increases, and conversely as temperature increases the reaction rate decreases.     

Immobilization of self-assembled pre-dispersed nano-TiO2 onto montmorillonite and its photocatalytic activity

The immobilization of pre-dispersed TiO₂ colloids onto the external surface of the clay mineral montmorillonite (Mt) was accomplished and regulated via a self-assembly method employing the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The role of CTAB in the synthesis process was investigated by preparing a series of TiO₂-CTAB-Mt composites (TCM) with various CTAB doses. The results indicated that a uniform and continuous TiO₂ film was deposited on the external surface of montmorillonite in the composite synthesized with 0.1 wt.% of CTAB, and the TCM nano-composites showed much higher values for specific surface area, average pore size and pore volume than the raw montmorillonite clay. Then, the formed TCM materials were applied in photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in aqueous solution. The degradation efficiency reached as high as 94.7%. Based on the degradation intermediates benezoquinone, fumaric acid and oxalic acid identified by LC–MS analysis, a mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidation of 2,4-DCP on TiO₂/Mt nano-composites is proposed.     

Immobilization of self-assembled pre-dispersed nano-TiO2 onto montmorillonite and its photocatalytic activity

The immobilization of pre-dispersed Ti O_2 colloids onto the external surface of the clay mineral montmorillonite(Mt) was accomplished and regulated via a self-assembly method employing the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB). The role of CTAB in the synthesis process was investigated by preparing a series of Ti O_2-CTAB-Mt composites(TCM) with various CTAB doses. The results indicated that a uniform and continuous Ti O_2 film was deposited on the external surface of montmorillonite in the composite synthesized with 0.1 wt.% of CTAB, and the TCM nano-composites showed much higher values for specific surface area, average pore size and pore volume than the raw montmorillonite clay. Then, the formed TCM materials were applied in photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol(2,4-DCP) in aqueous solution. The degradation efficiency reached as high as 94.7%. Based on the degradation intermediates benezoquinone, fumaric acid and oxalic acid identified by LC–MS analysis, a mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidation of 2,4-DCP on Ti O_2/Mt nano-composites is proposed.     

Tricrystalline TiO2 with enhanced photocatalytic activity and durability for removing volatile organic compounds from indoor air

It is important to develop efficient and economic techniques for removing volatile organic compounds(VOCs) in indoor air. Heterogeneous Ti O_2-based semiconductors are a promising technology for achieving this goal. Anatase/brookite/rutile tricrystalline Ti O_2 with mesoporous structure was synthesized by a low-temperature hydrothermal route in the presence of HNO_3.The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and N_2 adsorption–desorption isotherm. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photocatalytic decomposition of toluene in air under UV light illumination. The results show that tricrystalline Ti O_2 exhibited higher photocatalytic activity and durability toward gaseous toluene than bicrystalline Ti O_2,due to the synergistic effects of high surface area, uniform mesoporous structure and junctions among mixed phases. The tricrystalline Ti O_2 prepared at R HNO_3= 0.8, containing80.7% anatase, 15.6% brookite and 3.7% rutile, exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity,about 3.85-fold higher than that of P25. The high activity did not significantly degrade even after five reuse cycles. In conclusion, it is expected that our study regarding gas-phase degradation of toluene over tricrystalline Ti O_2 will enrich the chemistry of the Ti O_2-based materials as photocatalysts for environmental remediation and stimulate further research interest on this intriguing topic.     

Graphene TiO2 nanocomposites with high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of sodium pentachlorophenol

A series of graphene–TiO2photocatalysts was synthesized by doping TiO2 with graphene oxide via hydrothermal treatment. The photocatalytic capability of the catalysts under ultraviolet irradiation was evaluated in terms of sodium pentachlorophenol（PCP-Na） decomposition and mineralization. The structural and physicochemical properties of these nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2adsorption–desorption, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectra, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The graphene–TiO2nanocomposites exhibited higher photocatalytic efficiency than commercial P25 for the degradation of PCP-Na, and 63.4% to 82.9% of the total organic carbon was fully mineralized. The improved photocatalytic activity may be attributed to the accelerated interfacial electron-transfer process and the significantly prolonged lifetime of electron-hole pairs imparted by graphene sheets in the nanocomposites. However,excessive graphene and the inhomogeneous aggregation of TiO2 nanoparticles may decrease photodegradation efficiency.