In situ construction of oxygen-vacancy-rich Bi~0@Bi_2WO_(6-x) microspheres with enhanced visible light photocatalytic for NO removal

Surface oxygen vacancy defects and metal deposition on semiconductor photocatalysts play a critical role in photocatalytic reactions.In this work,oxygen-deficient Bi_2WO_6 microspheres have been prepared by a facile ethylene glycol-assisted solvothermal method.Bi~0 nanoparticles were reduced by in situ thermaltreatment on Bi_2WO_6 microspheres to obtain Bi~0@Bi_2WO_(6-x) as well as maintaining the oxygen vacancies(OVs) under N_2 atmosphere.Afterwards,photocatalytic NO oxidation removal activities of these photocatalysts were investigated under visible light irradiation and Bi~0@Bi_2WO_(6-x) shows the best NO removal activity than other samples.The photogenerated cha rge separation and trans fe r are promoted by Bi~0 nanoparticles deposited on the surface of semiconductor catalysts.OVs defects promote the activation of reactants(H_2 O and O_2),thereby enhancing the formation of the active substance.Moreover,both OVs defects and Bi~0 metal have the characteristics of extending light absorption and enhancing the efficient utilization of solar energy.Besides,the photocatalytic NO oxidation mechanism of Bi~0@Bi_2WO_(6-x)was investigated by in situ FTIR spectroscopy for reaction intermediates and final products.This work furnishes insight into the synthesis strategy and the underlying photocatalytic mecha nism of the surfacemodified Bi~0@Bi_2WO_(6-x) composite for pollutants removal.     

Surface Engineering of g‐C3N4 by Stacked BiOBr Sheets Rich in Oxygen Vacancies for Boosting Photocatalytic Performance

BiOBr containing surface oxygen vacancies (OVs) was prepared by a simple solvothermal method and combined with graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C₃N₄) to construct a heterojunction for photocatalytic oxidation of nitric oxide (NO) and reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The formation of the heterojunction enhanced the transfer and separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, the surface OVs sufficiently exposed catalytically active sites, and enabled capture of photoexcited electrons at the surface of the catalyst. Internal recombination of photogenerated charges was also limited, which contributed to generation of more active oxygen for NO oxidation. Heterojunction and OVs worked together to form a spatial conductive network framework, which achieved 63 % NO removal, 96 % selectivity for carbonaceous products (that is, CO and CH₄). The stability of the catalyst was confirmed by cycling experiments and X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy after NO removal.     

Surface Engineering of g-C3N4 by Stacked BiOBr Sheets Rich in Oxygen Vacancies for Boosting Photocatalytic Performance

BiOBr containing surface oxygen vacancies (OVs) was prepared by a simple solvothermal method and combined with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) to construct a heterojunction for photocatalytic oxidation of nitric oxide (NO) and reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The formation of the heterojunction enhanced the transfer and separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, the surface OVs sufficiently exposed catalytically active sites, and enabled capture of photoexcited electrons at the surface of the catalyst. Internal recombination of photogenerated charges was also limited, which contributed to generation of more active oxygen for NO oxidation. Heterojunction and OVs worked together to form a spatial conductive network framework, which achieved 63 % NO removal, 96 % selectivity for carbonaceous products (that is, CO and CH₄). The stability of the catalyst was confirmed by cycling experiments and X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy after NO removal.     

Oxygen Vacancy‐Mediated Photocatalysis of BiOCl: Reactivity,Selectivity, and Perspectives

Semiconductor photocatalysis is a trustworthy approach to harvest clean solar light for energy conversions, while state‐of‐the‐art catalytic efficiencies are unsatisfactory because of the finite light response and/or recombination of robust charge carriers. Along with the development of modern material characterization techniques and electronic‐structure computations, oxygen vacancies (OVs) on the surface of real photocatalysts, even in infinitesimal concentration, are found to play a more decisive role in determining the kinetics, energetics, and mechanisms of photocatalytic reactions. This Review endeavors to clarify the inherent functionality of OVs in photocatalysis at the surface molecular level using 2D BiOCl as the platform. Structure sensitivity of OVs on reactivity and selectivity of photocatalytic reactions is intensely discussed via confining OVs onto prototypical BiOCl surfaces of different structures. The critical understanding of OVs chemistry can help consolidate and advance the fundamental theories of photocatalysis, and also offer new perspectives and guidelines for the rational design of catalysts with satisfactory performance.     

ZIF-8衍生的具有可控氧空位的ZnO对光催化去除NO的增强及毒性NO2形成的抑制

氧化锌作为一种半导体材料,具有合适的能带结构位置,高催化效率,低成本和环境可持续性,因而广泛用于光催化领域.然而,由于氧化锌的宽带隙,可见光吸收能力差以及光生电子-空穴对的快速复合,极大地影响了其光催化效率.通过引入氧空位调控光催化剂的结构被证明是一种可以改善光生载流子的分离,从而提高光催化性能的有效方法.本文以ZIF-8为前驱体,采用两步煅烧法合成了具有不同浓度氧空位分布的ZnO纳米光催化剂,通过X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、电子顺磁共振(EPR)、荧光光谱仪(PL)等手段系统地分析了合成的光催化剂的理化性质,并评价了它们在可见光下光催化氧化去除NO反应性能.EPR结果表明,样品中氧空位的浓度取决于温度处理的过程.通过两步煅烧法得到氧化锌中氧空位的含量高于一步直接煅烧法所得的样品.此外,随着煅烧温度升高,合成的氧化锌晶格越完好,其氧空位含量越少.UV-Vis DRS结果表明,两步煅烧法合成的ZnO与商业的ZnO及一步法直接煅烧合成的ZnO相比,其吸光范围从紫外光拓展到了可见光,表现出了更加优异的吸光性能.光催化反应结果表明,与商业氧化锌和一步直接煅烧法所得样品相比,两步煅烧法合成的样品表现出了更优异的光催化去除NO性能,并抑制了中间产物毒性NO2的产生,促进了NO的深度氧化.具体反应路径为:在光照过程中,光生电子很容易被氧空位俘获,与O2反应产生更多的超氧自由基(·O2^-),从而将NO氧化成最终的产物硝酸盐.尤其有趣的是,先在350 ℃煅烧2小时再400℃煅烧1小时的两步法样品Z 350-400的NO去除效率分别比一步法样品Z 400(400℃煅烧)和商用ZnO高出1.5和4.6倍.这表明以MOF材料衍生的具有适当量氧空位的金属氧化物为一种高效去除NO的光催化剂具有很好的应用前景.     

Different Atomic Terminations Affect the Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation of Bismuth Oxybromide: A First Principles Study

We have systematically investigated the electronic structures and activation capacities of BiOBr {001} facets with different atomic terminations by means of DFT methods. Our calculations reveal that oxygen vacancies (OVs) give a significant boost in band edges of the O‐terminated BiOBr {001} facets, and excess electrons induced by OVs could exceed the reduction potentials of high‐energy N₂ intermediates. Interestingly, the Bi‐terminated BiOBr {001} facets may be good candidates for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation due to the stronger activation ability of N₂ molecules comparing with O‐terminated BiOBr {001} facets with OVs. Moreover, the Bi‐terminated BiOBr {001} facets may tend to yield NH₃ instead of N₂H₄.     

A Bi/BiOI/(BiO)2CO3 heterostructure for enhanced photocatalytic NO removal under visible light

Narrow-band BiOI photocatalysts usually suffer from low photocatalysis efficiency under visible light exposure because of rapid charge recombination. In this work, to overcome this deficiency of photosensitive BiOI, oxygen vacancies, Bi particles, and Bi₂O₂CO₃ were co-induced in BiOI via a facile in situ assembly method at room temperature using NaBH₄ as the reducing agent. In the synthesized ternary Bi/BiOI/(BiO)₂CO₃, the oxygen vacancies, dual heterojunctions (i.e., Bi/BiOI and BiOI/(BiO)₂CO₃), and surface plasmon resonance effect of the Bi particles contributed to efficient electron-hole separation and an increase in charge carrier concentration, thus boosting the overall visible light photocatalysis efficiency. The as-prepared catalysts were applied for the removal of NO in concentrations of parts per billion from air in continuous air flow under visible light illumination. Bi/BiOI/(BiO)₂CO₃ exhibited a highly enhanced NO removal ratio of 50.7%, much higher than that of the pristine BiOI (1.2%). Density functional theory calculations and experimental results revealed that the Bi/BiOI/(BiO)₂CO₃ composites promoted the production of reactive oxygen species for photocatalytic NO oxidation. Thus, this work provides a new strategy to modify narrow-band semiconductors and explore other bismuth-containing heterostructured visible-light-driven photocatalysts.     

Bi–O–Si键作为热电子传输通道增强SiO2@Bi微球的等离子体光催化效率

具有等离子体效应的贵金属Au和Ag等常被用于修饰半导体光催化剂.非贵金属Bi成本低,来源丰富,最近被报道可以直接作为等离子体光催化剂应用于空气中NO净化.为了进一步提高Bi单质的光催化活性,需对其进行改性.SiO2的禁带宽度过大,不能单独作为光催化剂,但它的稳定性好,比表面积大,因而常作复合材料用于提高光催化剂的反应效率、稳定性及对反应物的吸附能力.目前,尚未见SiO2修饰Bi单质的相关报道.本文通过溶剂热法制备了SiO2@Bi微球,并对其微结构进行了表征,对光催化氧化NO的反应过程进行了原位漫反射红外光谱(DRIFTS)分析,揭示了Bi–O–Si键在提升SiO2@Bi光催化氧化NO性能中的作用机制.结果显示,用SiO2纳米颗粒修饰Bi球,形成的Bi–O–Si键作为热电子传输通道,能显著提高Bi单质光催化氧化去除NO的能力.扫描电镜、透射电镜、傅里叶变换红外光谱和X射线光电子能谱等表征结果表明,SiO2纳米颗粒负载于Bi球上,且SiO2@Bi内形成了Bi–O–Si键.作为光生热电子的传输通道,Bi–O–Si键能促进光生电子的转移和载流子的分离,提高活性自由基?OH和?O2?的产量,增强SiO2@Bi在紫外光下等离子体光催化氧化NO的能力.自由基捕获测试(ESR)表明,SiO2@Bi在光催化反应中产生的?OH和?O2?数量均明显高于单质Bi在反应中形成自由基的数量.原位DRIFTS发现,Bi–O–Si键能快速转移光生电子,从而有利于NO→NO2→NO3?反应的进行.此外,SiO2@Bi的比表面积变大,因而对NO的吸附能力增强,同时促进了光催化反应.本文揭示了SiO2@Bi等离子体光催化性能增强的微观机制和光催化氧化NO的反应机理,为Bi基光催化剂的改性和应用提供了新的认识.     

Oxygen vacancies on the BiOCl surface promoted photocatalytic complete NO oxidation via superoxide radicals

One of the core issues in the photocatalytic oxidation of nitric oxide is the effective conversion of NO into the final product (nitrate). More than just improving the visible light photocatalytic performance of BiOCl, we aim to inhibit the generation of toxic by-product NO₂ during this process. In this study, we demonstrate that the oxygen vacancies (OVs) modulate its surface photogenerated carrier transfer to inflect the NO conversion pathway by a facile mixed solvent method to induce OVs on the surface of BiOCl. The photocatalytic NO removal efficiency under visible light increased from 5.6% to 36.4%. In addition, the production rate of NO₂ is effectively controlled. The effects of OVs on the generation of reactive oxygen species, electronic transfer, optical properties, and photocatalytic NO oxidation are investigated by combining density functional theory (DFT) theoretical calculations, the in situ FTIR spectra and experimental characterization. The OVs on the surface of BiOCl speed the trapping and transfer of localized electrons to activate the O₂, producing O₂⁻, which avoid NO₂ formation, resulting in complete oxidation of NO (NO + O₂⁻ → NO₃⁻). These findings can serve as the basis for controlling and blocking the generation of highly toxic intermediates through regulating the reactive species during the NO oxidation. It also can help us to understand the role of OV on the BiOCl surface and application of photocatalytic technology for safe air purification.     

Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven CO2 Reduction Mediated by Defect‐Engineered BiOBr Atomic Layers

Solar CO₂ reduction efficiency is largely limited by poor photoabsorption, sluggish electron–hole separation, and a high CO₂ activation barrier. Defect engineering was employed to optimize these crucial processes. As a prototype, BiOBr atomic layers were fabricated and abundant oxygen vacancies were deliberately created on their surfaces. X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure and electron paramagnetic resonance spectra confirm the formation of oxygen vacancies. Theoretical calculations reveal the creation of new defect levels resulting from the oxygen vacancies, which extends the photoresponse into the visible‐light region. The charge delocalization around the oxygen vacancies contributes to CO₂ conversion into COOH* intermediate, which was confirmed by in situ Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. Surface photovoltage spectra and time‐resolved fluorescence emission decay spectra indicate that the introduced oxygen vacancies promote the separation of carriers. As a result, the oxygen‐deficient BiOBr atomic layers achieve visible‐light‐driven CO₂ reduction with a CO formation rate of 87.4 μmol g^?1 h^?1, which was not only 20 and 24 times higher than that of BiOBr atomic layers and bulk BiOBr, respectively, but also outperformed most previously reported single photocatalysts under comparable conditions.     

Intrinsic Facet‐Dependent Reactivity of Well‐Defined BiOBr Nanosheets on Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Surface atomic arrangement and coordination of photocatalysts highly exposed to different crystal facets significantly affect the photoreactivity. However, controversies on the true photoreactivity of a specific facet in heterogeneous photocatalysis still exits. Herein, we exemplified well‐defined BiOBr nanosheets dominating with respective facets, (001) and (010), to track the reactivity of crystal facets for photocatalytic water splitting. The real photoreactivity of BiOBr‐(001) were evidenced to be significantly higher than BiOBr‐(010) for both hydrogen production and oxygen evolution reactions. Further in situ photochemical probing studies verified the distinct reactivity is not only owing to the highly exposed facets, but dominated by the co‐exposing facets, leading to an efficient spatial separation of photogenerated charges and further making the oxidation and reduction reactions separately occur with different reaction rates, which ordains the fate of the true photoreactivity.     

具有光控氧空缺的钼掺杂Bi5O7Br纳米片用于光催化氮气合成氨

氨(NH3)作为合成燃料、化肥和潜在能源载体的重要前体,是现代化学工业中最重要的化学品之一.工业中主要通过高能耗的Haber-Bosch工艺在高温高压下将氮气和氢气转化为NH3,而原料氢气由天然气蒸汽获得,因而不仅消耗大量能源,而且导致温室气体二氧化碳的大量排放,对环境造成危害.光催化固氮以光能为驱动力,以水为质子源,为合成NH3提供了一种温和、绿色和可持续的方法.然而,传统固氮催化剂具有与N2结合弱、成键难以及电子转移效率低的缺点.为了克服上述问题,在催化剂中引入氧空缺和过渡金属作为给电子中心和活性位点的策略被广泛研究.本文以半导体Bi5O7Br纳米片作为研究对象,通过在水热合成过程中添加Na2MoO4前驱盐在Bi5O7Br中掺杂钼元素,合成了不同摩尔含量的钼掺杂Bi5O7Br(Mo-Bi5O7Br)纳米片,并将其应用于光催化N2还原反应,发现Mo-Bi5O7Br的光催化固氮性能显著优于空白Bi5O7Br的催化性能.扫描电镜、透射电镜、能量色散X射线元素映射以及X射线光电子能谱的结果表明,掺杂过程不会影响Bi5O7Br纳米片的晶相和形貌,掺杂后钼元素均匀地分布在Bi5O7Br纳米片晶格中.采用紫外可见漫反射光谱、电子自旋共振光谱、氮气程序升温脱附谱以及光电化学测试等方法研究了Mo-Bi5O7Br相较于空白Bi5O7Br纳米片在光催化N2还原反应中催化性能提升的原因.UV-vis DRS结果表明,钼掺杂对Bi5O7Br可见光吸收能力具有增强作用.以催化NH3产率最高的Mo-Bi5O7Br-1(Mo摩尔百分含量为1％)为研究样本,EPR结果表明,在黑暗条件下,只有Mo-Bi5O7Br-1样品可以检测到明显的表面氧空位(OVs)信号;在光照条件下,Bi5O7Br和Mo-Bi5O7Br-1两种样品都出现OVs的信号峰,但同等光照时间下的Mo-Bi5O7Br-1具有更高的信号强度.此外,OVs信号会随着光照时间的延长逐渐增强;当移除光源后,信号强度逐渐降低.这表明Mo-Bi5O7Br-1在光照下会产生更高浓度的表面光控OVs.N2-TPD结果表明,光控OVs作为活性位点促进催化剂对N2的吸附.关闭光源后,OVs被环境中的水或氧气中的氧原子重新填充,避免了OVs易被氧化而导致反应失活的缺点,有助于保持Mo-Bi5O7Br-1催化N2还原反应的活性和稳定性.光电化学表征结果表明,Mo-Bi5O7Br-1中的光生载流子的分离和迁移效率明显提高.以上结果表明,掺杂过渡金属钼有助于Bi5O7Br纳米片表面光控OVs的生成,光控OVs作为活性位点提升了Bi5O7Br吸附和活化N2的能力,钼掺杂和光控OVs协同提高Bi5O7Br内部光生载流子的分离迁移效率,增强Bi5O7Br光催化固氮合成氨的反应性能.     

Nitrogen-doped TiO2 thin films: photocatalytic applications for healthcare environments

N-doped TiO(2) has for many years received interest as visible light photocatalytic materials. Here we give our perspective on the subject with special consideration towards the use of visible light photocatalysts in the field of antimicrobial materials with applications in healthcare environments. The subject is reviewed and critiqued from synthetic techniques to characterisation and assessment of functional properties. N-doped TiO(2) has huge potential to form commercially viable antimicrobial surfaces that are easily implemented within the healthcare environment. We aim to shed light on the illusive nature of the mechanism of the different types of N-doping and comment on how these affect the properties of the catalysts themselves. Small concentrations of nitrogen doped under mild conditions lead to interstitial doping, which also promotes the creation of oxygen vacancies. Many believe that it is these oxygen vacancies that actually promote the formation of visible light photocatalysis and hence there is an indirect correlation between the interstitial doping and the photocatalysis. As the concentration of interstitial nitrogen increases the oxygen vacancies increase, however the presence of oxygen vacancies in turn encourages substitutional doping which then fills the oxygen vacancies. This cyclic relationship leads to photocatalysts that are very sensitive to changing nitrogen concentration.     

石榴状单质铋(Bi)球与g-C3N4复合材料表现出超强可见光氧化NO性能

采用一种原位合成工艺制备了具有类石榴结构的金属铋(Bi)单质修饰的g-C3N4复合材料(Bi-CN),并用于可见光氧化NO反应中.金属Bi单质镶嵌在CN层间形成的复合物,由于金属Bi单质显著的表面等离子体共振(SPR)作用可将光吸收范围由紫外光延展至近红外,极大地提高了复合物的光吸收.此外,由于Bi单质存在于复合物界面可产生内建莫特-肖特基效应,从而加快光生载流子的分离与转移.由此,Bi-CN复合物光催化剂展现出超强的光催化去除NO性能.我们提出了类石榴结构的形成以及相应的Bi-CN复合物光催化活性的提高机理.这不仅为高效的金属铋单质改性的g-C3N4基光催化剂提供了一种新的设计方案,也对g-C3N4基光催化的机制理解提出了新的见解.通过X射线衍射、红外光谱和X射线光电子能谱结果发现Bi是以金属单质的形式存在于Bi-CN复合物中,这得益于我们采用了二水合铋酸钠(NaBiO3·2H2O)作为铋前驱体,从而成功避免了氧化态铋的形成.Bi-CN复合物中金属铋单质的存在有诸多优点.首先,金属铋单质具有显著的表面SPR效应,它的引入可大大提高复合物的光吸收能力和太阳光利用率.有研究表明,直径为150–200 nm的铋球能够在紫外-可见漫反射图谱(UV-vis)在λ=500 nm处呈现出典型的SPR峰,但本样品在λ=200–800 nm区间内并未发现该SPR峰.由于铋单质的共振受限于其尺寸大小、颗粒形状和构造环境.本文中球形铋单质的直径约为1μm,其可能发生共振效应的峰位置应超过800 nm,因此未发现相应的SPR峰.其次,金属铋单质分散在CN层表面上构建的肖特基垫垒能够高效地阻止光生电子与空穴的复合,促进了光生载流子的分离与转移,从而提高光氧化NO进程.再者,金属铋单质的介入成功构造了Bi-CN异质结,在可见光照射下NO氧化反应中,Bi-CN复合物活性显著高于CN(22.2%)、CN-EG(36.4%)和Bi(14.1%),其中以10%Bi-CN活性最佳,NO去除率到70.4%,远远超过K插层的g-C3N4、Ag掺杂的g-C3N4和氧化石墨烯修饰的g-C3N4.当复合物中金属铋单质含量超过10%时,其活性明显下降.这是因为大量的金属铋单质积聚在Bi-CN复合物表面上而造成物理堵塞,妨碍了CN吸收可见光,从而降低了其可见光吸收能力;同时导致只会吸收更多的紫外光(λ<280 nm)而不是可见光,因而其可见光催化氧化NO能力下降.     

SrTiO3/BiOI异质结构:界面电荷分离、增强光催化活性和反应机理（英文）

异质结构光催化剂为实现高效的电荷分离,提高光催化性能提供了一种有效的途径.虽然宽禁带和窄禁带光催化剂已经得到了广泛的研究,但它们在接触界面上的电荷分离和转移规律尚未完全揭示.本文采用简便的方法成功地制备了一种新型SrTiO3/BiOI(STB)异质结构光催化剂.该光催化剂中的异质结构可以将光吸收扩展到可见光范围,从而在可见光照射下获得较高的光催化NO去除性能.实验和理论证据表明,BiOI光生电子可以通过预成型的电子传递通道直接转移到SrTiO3表面.XRD和XPS结果表明,SrTO3/BiOI复合材料已成功制备.SEM和TEM图像显示了SrTiO3,BiOI和STB样品的形貌.能量色散X射线(EDX)元素图清楚地表明SrTiO3均匀分布在BiOI纳米片表面,证实BiOI与SrTiO3形成了界面.高分辨率XPS表明,电子从BiOI中Bi和I原子转移到STB化合物中SrTO3的Sr和Ti原子.采用DFT进一步确定了BiOI与SrTiO3相互作用的机制.电子局域函数(ELF)表明,STB的接触界面存在共价相互作用.SrTiO3和BiOI之间生成的共价键导致局域化超额电子(e-ex)的积累.在可见光照射下,界面内的电子交换增强,从而提高反应物活化和ROS生成的效率.采用自制的连续流反应体系,研究了在可见光照射下制备的样品对NO去除的光催化性能.与SrTiO3和BiOI相比,STB具有显著增强的可见光光催化活性,去除率为59.0%.UV-vis DRS显示,STB异质结的光吸收扩展到可见光范围.SrTiO3具有可见光活性,这归因于EPR所描述的氧空位的存在.随后计算态密度(DOS),发现氧空位可以形成缺陷能级,降低激发电子所需的光能.利用ESR光谱发现,STB上的ESR信号强度都要强得多,说明STB异质结具有较好的氧化能力,也说明光生载流子可以通过电子传递通道被有效地分离.原位红外光谱表明,在SrTiO3上,NO主要转化为NO2.STB的加速电荷分离和转移特性,促进活性氧的生成,从而进一步有效地将有毒中间体NO2转化为目标产物.设计并制备的SrTiO3/BiOI异质结光催化剂在可见光辐照下净化空气中NO的效率提高,同时抑制了有毒中间体的生成.通过实验和理论相结合的方法揭示了在两种材料的接触界面上建立的电子传递通道.来自BiOI的光生电子可以通过预先形成的电子传递通道直接转移到SrTiO3表面,从而促进了ROS的生成,所以整体的NO纯化效率和对有毒中间体的抑制作用提高.综上,本文提出了一种简单、新颖的促进空气污染物高效安全净化的策略.     

Constructing recyclable photocatalytic BiOBr/Ag nanowires/cotton fabric for efficient dye degradation under visible light

In this study, a highly-efficient photocatalytic and recyclable BiOBr/Ag nanowires (AgNW)/cotton fabric (CF) composite was fabricated by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) for rapid treatment of dye wastewater. The integration of AgNW and BiOBr aims to establish a channel for faster and easier charge transfer to enhance the photocatalytic performance. The chemical structure and morphology of BiOBr/AgNW/CF, as well as its photo-degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light radiation were explored. Results reveal that BiOBr/AgNW/CF exhibits remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity over BiOBr/CF, which degrades 97 % of RhB within 90 min. BiOBr/AgNW/CF still maintains 88 % of photocatalytic degradation capacity after five reusing cycles due to the effective encapsulation of BiOBr that protects AgNW from oxidation. Photoluminescence, electron spin resonance, and free radical trapping experiments confirm that the separation efficiency of photo-generated electron-hole pairs plays an important role in improving photocatalytic performance. In all, this work exhibits great potential in the development of textile-based photocatalytic materials that integrates two significant merits, the high degradation efficiency and easy recovery.     

Efficient photocatalysis triggered by thin carbon layers coating on photocatalysts: recent progress and future perspectives

Solar-energy-driven photocatalysis, such as photocatalytic reduction of CO_2, is promising simultaneously for the energy and environmental issues. Coating thin carbon layers with the thickness less than 10 nm on photocatalysts has been developed as an efficient strategy for enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency in recent years. In the present review, we summarize the crucial progress on carbon-coated photocatalysts. Origins for the improved light absorption, charge separation, reactant adsorption and photocatalytic stability on carbon-coated photocatalysts as well as the applications of carbon-coated photocatalysts are discussed. Future opportunities and challenges associated with carbon-coated photocatalysts are shown at the end of the review. We hope that the present review can trigger more deep insights on carbon-coated photocatalysts and provide new opportunities for developing low-cost but efficient photocatalysts.     

Highly Efficient Photocatalysts and Continuous‐Flow Photocatalytic Reactors for Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater

One of the most important applications for photocatalysis is engineered water treatment that photodegrades organic pollutants in wastewater at low cost. To overcome the low efficiency of batch degradation methods, continuous‐flow photocatalytic reactors have been proposed and have become the most promising method for mass water treatment. However, most commercial semiconductor photocatalysts are granular nanoparticles with low activity and a narrow active light wavelength band; this creates difficulties for direct use in continuous‐flow photocatalytic reactors. Therefore, a high‐performance photodegradation photocatalyst with proper morphology or structure is key for continuous photocatalytic degradation. Moreover, a well‐designed photocatalytic device is another important component for continuous‐flow photocatalysis and determines the efficiency of photocatalysis in practical water treatment. This review describes the basic design principles and synthesis of photocatalysts with excellent performance and special morphologies suitable for a filtering photocatalysis process. Certain promising continuous photodegradation reactors are also categorized and summarized. Additionally, selected scientific and technical problems that must be urgently solved are suggested.     

Intrinsic Facet-Dependent Reactivity of Well-Defined BiOBr Nanosheets on Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Surface atomic arrangement and coordination of photocatalysts highly exposed to different crystal facets significantly affect the photoreactivity. However, controversies on the true photoreactivity of a specific facet in heterogeneous photocatalysis still exits. Herein, we exemplified well-defined BiOBr nanosheets dominating with respective facets, (001) and (010), to track the reactivity of crystal facets for photocatalytic water splitting. The real photoreactivity of BiOBr-(001) were evidenced to be significantly higher than BiOBr-(010) for both hydrogen production and oxygen evolution reactions. Further in situ photochemical probing studies verified the distinct reactivity is not only owing to the highly exposed facets, but dominated by the co-exposing facets, leading to an efficient spatial separation of photogenerated charges and further making the oxidation and reduction reactions separately occur with different reaction rates, which ordains the fate of the true photoreactivity.     

In situ ion exchange synthesis of the novel Ag/AgBr/BiOBr hybrid with highly efficient decontamination of pollutants

A novel Ag/AgBr/BiOBr hybrid was prepared by a rational in situ ion exchange reaction between BiOBr hierarchical microspheres and AgNO(3) in ethylene glycol followed by light reduction, which displayed superior visible light driven photocatalytic activities in sterilization of pathogenic organism and degradation of organic dye compared to N-doped P25.