Oxygen vacancy engineering of photocatalytic nanomaterials for enrichment,activation, and efficient removal of nitrogen oxides with high selectivity: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Air pollution by trace levels of nitric oxide (NO) pollution is threatening human health by causing acid rain and haze pollution through photochemical reactions....     

CuCo2S4/sulfite reaction for efficient removal of tetracycline in water

Water pollution by antibiotics is an increasing concern, which may be addressed by advanced oxidation processes using sulfites as precursors of sulfate radicals (SO₄^·–), yet the efficiency of sulfite activation is limited. Here, we tested copper cobalt sulfide (CuCo₂S₄) to activate sulfite, based on the synergy among transition metals and the facilitation of transition metal redox circulation by reductive sulfur species. We analyzed CuCo₂S₄ structure by X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and we studied the effect of pH and radical scavengers. Results show 90–100% abatement of tetracycline concentration at pH 8.0–10.0, with SO₄^·– and HO^· as the main reactive radicals. This finding is explained by the accelerated redox recycling of copper and cobalt by sulfur, and by the synergetic effect between active cobalt and copper sites.

     

Recyclable Fe3O4@Polydopamine (PDA) nanofluids for highly efficient solar evaporation

Volumetric solar evaporations by using light-absorbing nanoparticles suspended in liquids (nanofluids) as solar absorbers have been widely regarded as one of the promising solutions for clean water production because of its high efficiency and low capital cost compared to traditional solar distillation systems. Nevertheless, previous solar evaporation systems usually required highly concentrated solar irradiation and high capital cost, limiting the practical application on a large scale. Herein, for the first time in this work, polydopamine (PDA)-capped nano Fe3O4 (Fe3O4@PDA) nanofluids were used as solar absorbers in a volumetric system for solar evaporation. The introduction of organic PDA to nano Fe3O4 highly contributed to the high light-absorbing capacity of over 85％in wide ranges of 200–2400 nm because of the existence of numerous carbon bonds and pi (π) bonds in PDA. As a result, high evaporation efficiency of 69.93％under low irradiation of 1.0 kW m-2 was achieved. Compared to other nanofluids, Fe3O4@PDA nanofluids also provided an advantage in high unit evaporation rates. Moreover, Fe3O4@PDA nanofluids showed excellent reusability and recyclability owing to the preassembled nano Fe3O4, which significantly reduced the material consumptions. These results demonstrated that the Fe3O4@PDA nanofluids held great promising application in highly efficient solar evapo-ration.     

Strategies to design modified activated carbon fibers for the decontamination of water and air

The rapid industrialization has induced the entry of organic and inorganic contaminants into the environment at a rate greater than environmental cleaning. As a consequence, pollutants have accumulated in environmental media, thus posing health risk for living organisms. Here, we present surface treatment strategies that modify physicochemical properties of activated carbon fibers for environmental remediation. In particular, we review metals, metal oxides and various advanced materials used for modifying activated carbon fibers. We discuss the utilization of modified activated carbon fibers for adsorption of organic pollutants and inorganic pollutants, and for the degradation of organic pollutants by photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, Fenton process and dielectric barrier discharge. We also discuss air pollutant removal, capacitive deionization, removal of inorganic ions and microbial decontamination by modified activated carbon fibers.     

Highly efficient microwave-assisted one-pot synthesis of 4-aryl-2-aminothiazoles in aqueous medium

The thiazole ring system is one of the most important heterocycles in nature, as it represents an important structural motif of many biological compounds, including vitamin B₁ (Thiamin), carboxylase and penicillin. There is, therefore, an urgent need to design rapid, efficient and environmentally benign protocols for the synthesis of thiazoles. Herein, we have developed a one-pot protocol for the synthesis of 4-aryl-2-aminothiazoles from the reaction of aromatic ketones, NBS (N-Bromosuccinimide) and thioureas under microwave irradiation at 80–85 °C in PEG (polyethylene glycol)-400 and water as a green reaction medium. The products were obtained in 84–89% yields in 28–32 min. The method has several advantages such as use of green solvent, easy work-up, excellent yield and avoiding use of lachrymatric α-haloketones.     

二氧化钛/石墨烯复合光催化剂的制备及其对水中双酚A的降解

双酚A污染问题日益严峻,已经威胁到人类的健康.半导体光催化技术可以有效去除水体中双酚A污染.近年来,二氧化钛/石墨烯复合材料,因其优越的光催化性能受到广泛关注.尤其石墨烯等新型纳米碳基材料,有较大的比表面积和丰富的官能团,为二氧化钛的负载创造了良好的条件,其表面可以形成化学键,为双酚A的吸附降解提供了更多的活性位点.本文重点介绍了国内外二氧化钛/石墨烯复合材料的制备方法及各种制备方法的优缺点;讨论了二氧化钛/石墨烯复合材料对双酚A的降解效果及其降解机理;分析了二氧化钛/石墨烯复合材料的再生性能.最后总结这种材料在实际应用中存在的问题及其前景展望.     

Fabrication of highly efficient Bi2WO6/CuS composite for visible-light photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants and Cr(VI) from wastewater

• A novel Bi₂WO₆/CuS composite was fabricated by a facile solvothermal method. • This composite efficiently removed organic pollutants and Cr(VI) by photocatalysis. • The DOM could promoted synchronous removal of organic pollutants and Cr(VI). • This composite could be applied at a wide pH range in photocatalytic reactions. • Possible photocatalytic mechanisms of organic pollutants and Cr(VI) were proposed. A visible-light-driven Bi₂WO₆/CuS p-n heterojunction was fabricated using an easy solvothermal method. The Bi₂WO₆/CuS exhibited high photocatalytic activity in a mixed system containing rhodamine B (RhB), tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), and Cr (VI) under natural conditions. Approximately 98.8% of the RhB (10 mg/L), 87.6% of the TCH (10 mg/L) and 95.1% of the Cr(VI) (15 mg/L) were simultaneously removed from a mixed solution within 105 min. The removal efficiencies of TCH and Cr(VI) increased by 12.9% and 20.4%, respectively, in the mixed solution, compared with the single solutions. This is mainly ascribed to the simultaneous consumption electrons and holes, which increases the amount of excited electrons/holes and enhances the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. Bi₂WO₆/CuS can be applied over a wide pH range (2–6) with strong photocatalytic activity for RhB, TCH and Cr(VI). Coexisiting dissolved organic matter in the solution significantly promoted the removal of TCH (from 74.7% to 87.2%) and Cr(VI) (from 75.7% to 99.9%) because it accelerated the separation of electrons and holes by consuming holes as an electron acceptor. Removal mechanisms of RhB, TCH, and Cr(VI) were proposed, Bi₂WO₆/CuS was formed into a p-n heterojunction to efficiently separate and transfer photoelectrons and holes so as to drive photocatalytic reactions. Specifically, when reducing pollutants (e.g., TCH) and oxidizing pollutants (e.g., Cr(VI)) coexist in wastewater, the p-n heterojunction in Bi₂WO₆/CuS acts as a “bridge” to shorten the electron transport and thus simultaneously increase the removal efficiencies of both types of pollutants.     

CaCu3Ti4O12, an efficient catalyst for ibuprofen removal by activation of peroxymonosulfate under visible-light irradiation

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Contamination of waters by pharmaceuticals is a major health issue. Therefore, there is a need for efficient techniques to remove pharmaceutical pollutants. Here,...     

Bi（25）FeO40-g-C3N4磁性催化剂的制备及其可见光催化性能

采用水热法制备了铁酸铋(Bi25FeO40),将其与类石墨相氮化碳(g-C3N4)复合得到Bi25FeO40-g-C3N4磁性光催化剂,用X-射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、BET比表面积分析、UV-Vis光谱和磁滞回线对该磁性光催化剂进行了表征.考察了Bi25FeO40-g-C3N4复合催化剂对亚甲基蓝的可见光催化降解效果.结果表明,Bi25FeO40-g-C3N4复合催化剂对亚甲基蓝的可见光催化降解效率远高于Bi25FeO40.此外,Bi25FeO40-g-C3N4表现出顺磁性,可通过磁选分离并回收.     

Photocatalytic water splitting of ternary graphene-like photocatalyst for the photocatalytic hydrogen production

•The MoS₂/SiC/GO composite has a strong photocatalytic activity than SiC. •The optimal catalyst yielded the highest quantum of 21.69%. •GO acts as a bridge for electron passage in photocatalytic reaction. In recent times, therehas been an increasing demand for energy which has resulted in an increased consumption of fossil fuels thereby posing a number of challenges to the environment. In the course finding possible solutions to this environmental canker, solar photocatalytic water splitting to produce hydrogengas has been identified as one of the most promising methods for generating renewable energy. To retard the recombination of photogenerated carriers and improve the efficiencyof photocatalysis, the present paper reports a facile method called the hydrothermal method, which was used to prepare ternary graphene-like photocatalyst. A “Design Expert” was used to investigate the influence of the loading weight of Mo and GO as well as the temperature of hydrothermal reaction and their interactions on the evolution of hydrogen (H₂) in 4 h. The experimental results showed that the ternary graphene-like photocatalyst has a strong photocatalytic hydrogen production activity compared to that of pure SiC. In particular, the catalyst added 2.5 wt% of GO weight yielded the highest quantum of 21.69 % at 400–700 nm of wavelength. The optimal evolution H₂ in 4 h conditions wasobtained as follows: The loading weight of Mo was 8.19 wt%, the loading weight of GO was 2.02 wt%, the temperature of the hydrothermal reaction was 200.93°C. Under the optimum conditions, the evolution of H₂ in 4 h could reach 4.2030 mL.     

Sustainable wood-based nanotechnologies for photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants in aquatic environment

•Wood and its reassemblies are ideal substrates to develop novel photocatalysts. •Synthetic methods and mechanisms of wood-derived photocatalysts are summarized. •Advances in wood-derived photocatalysts for organic pollutant removal are summed up. •Metal doping, morphology control and semiconductor coupling methods are highlighted. •Structure-activity relationship and catalytic mechanism of photocatalysts are given. Wood-based nanotechnologies have received much attention in the area of photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants in aquatic environment in recent years, because of the high abundance and renewability of wood as well as the high reaction activity and unique structural features of these materials. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of the current research activities centering on the development of wood-based nanocatalysts for photodegradation of organic pollutants. This review begins with a brief introduction of the development of photocatalysts and hierarchical structure of wood. The review then focuses on strategies of designing novel photocatalysts based on wood or its recombinants (such as 1D fiber, 2D films and 3D porous gels) using advanced nanotechnology including sol-gel method, hydrothermal method, magnetron sputtering method, dipping method and so on. Next, we highlight typical approaches that improve the photocatalytic property, including metal element doping, morphology control and semiconductor coupling. Also, the structure-activity relationship of photocatalysts is emphasized. Finally, a brief summary and prospect of wood-derived photocatalysts is provided.