BiOCl/TiO₂/diatomite composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B

• Minlin Ao,
• Kun Liu,
• Xuekun Tang,
• Zishun Li,
• Qian Peng and
• Jing Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1412–1422, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.139

• for wide application in the field of sewage treatment driven by solar energy. Keywords: BiOCl; diatomite; photocatalysis; sewage treatment; TiO2; visible-light photocatalysis; Introduction In recent decades, with intense industry development and worldwide social economy growth, the discharge of

• nature as a whole. In recent years, advanced oxidation processes including Fenton [3], Fenton-like [4][5][6] and photocatalysis [7] reactions have been widely used in wastewater treatment. In addition, photocatalysis has attracted great attention due to advantages such as environmental sustainability

• , low-cost and ease of application, which are superior to other approaches of environmental remediation [8][9]. However, the application of photocatalysis is still hindered due to the agglomeration of photocatalyst particles, the difficulty of photocatalyst recovery and low photocatalytic performance

Construction of a 0D/1D composite based on Au nanoparticles/CuBi₂O₄ microrods for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

• Weilong Shi,
• Mingyang Li,
• Hongji Ren,
• Feng Guo,
• Xiliu Huang,
• Yu Shi and
• Yubin Tang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1360–1367, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.134

• , Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, PR China School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212003, PR China 10.3762/bjnano.10.134 Abstract Photocatalysis is considered to be a promising technique for the degradation of organic pollutants. Herein, a 0D/1D composite

• , enhancing photoresponse and providing more active sites. Our work shows a possible design of efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation. Keywords: Au nanoparticles; 0D/1D composite; CuBi2O4 microrods; photocatalysis; photocatalytic degradation; Introduction Heterogeneous semiconductor

• photocatalysis as an advanced green technology has been widely studied and applied for the removal of organic pollutants from water [1][2][3]. The catalytic activity of many wide-bandgap (Eg) semiconductor photocatalysts is restricted to UV light radiation, which is only 5% of the solar spectrum. Hence, the

A highly efficient porous rod-like Ce-doped ZnO photocatalyst for the degradation of dye contaminants in water

• Binjing Hu,
• Qiang Sun,
• Chengyi Zuo,
• Yunxin Pei,
• Siwei Yang,
• Hui Zheng and
• Fangming Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1157–1165, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.115

• ]. Recently, photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes using semiconductors has attracted much attention [6]. This refers to the process in which organic compounds are gradually oxidized into inorganic compounds or even H2O and CO2 under the synergistic effects of light and photocatalysis. ZnO is one of the

• most suitable catalysts in many industries given its inexpensive, non-toxic, efficient and anti-corrosion properties [7]. Nevertheless, it still has some disadvantages with respect to photocatalysis. For example, it has a narrow response range, low quantum efficiency, and its photogenerated electron

• ]. In recent years, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively investigated and widely utilized in various fields, such as electrocatalysis [14], heterogeneous catalysis [15] and photocatalysis [16]. Yang et al. [17] reported that Ga-MOF displayed moderate to high catalytic activity of

Photoactive nanoarchitectures based on clays incorporating TiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles

• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky,
• Pilar Aranda,
• Marwa Akkari,
• Nithima Khaorapapong and
• Makoto Ogawa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1140–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.114

• materials that have been assembled at the nanometer scale with clay silicates and deeply investigated due to their useful properties for various applications, including heterogeneous photocatalysis, antibacterial activity, and water splitting [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Both semiconducting solids

• more suitable for photocatalytic reactions; vi) to facilitate percolation in membrane or column designs for the easier separation and collection of products; and vii) to enable molecular recognition in photocatalysis through the well-defined nanopores in the inorganic component. Well-defined nanoporous

• extensively studied clay–semiconductor systems for photocatalysis applications. Various procedures have been reported to produce kaolinite clay mineral fully coated with TiO2 NPs [94][95][96][97][98]. An example of these methods is the in situ formation of titanium dioxide and its anchorage on the external

Synthesis of novel C-doped g-C₃N₄ nanosheets coupled with CdIn₂S₄ for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

• Jingshuai Chen,
• Chang-Jie Mao,
• Helin Niu and
• Ji-Ming Song

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 912–921, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.92

• . Keywords: C-doped g-C3N4; CdIn2S4; composite materials; hydrogen generation; photocatalysis; Introduction The serious environmental concerns and increasing global energy demand have instigated growing awareness in the field of alternative energy generation over the past few decades. Photocatalysis

Fabrication of silver nanoisland films by pulsed laser deposition for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

• Bogusław Budner,
• Mariusz Kuźma,
• Barbara Nasiłowska,
• Bartosz Bartosewicz,
• Malwina Liszewska and
• Bartłomiej J. Jankiewicz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 882–893, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.89

• the size, shape, and arrangements of nanostructures, the material they are made of and the surrounding medium [6]. One of the easiest nanostructures to produce are metallic nanoparticles (NPs). Alone or in composites with other materials, they find numerous applications in plasmonic photocatalysis [7

Rapid, ultraviolet-induced, reversibly switchable wettability of superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic surfaces

• Yunlu Pan,
• Wenting Kong,
• Bharat Bhushan and
• Xuezeng Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 866–873, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.87

• photocatalysis material that has attracted attention since it is more sensitive to UV light [17]. The use of a photochemical method to strengthen the interaction between nanoparticles and organic materials is quite common [18][19]. TiO2 nanoparticles modified with organic materials that have a low surface energy

• of the faster transition process has not explained. Due to the high energy of UV illumination and the photocatalysis effect of TiO2, the –CF2−, –CF3 groups of the modified trimethoxy(alkyl)silane might become photodegraded and the end of the trimethoxy(alkyl)silane would change into –OH groups

On the transformation of “zincone”-like into porous ZnO thin films from sub-saturated plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition

• Alberto Perrotta,
• Julian Pilz,
• Stefan Pachmajer,
• Antonella Milella and
• Anna Maria Coclite

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 746–759, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.74

• oxides in photocatalysis [30][33] and as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries [12][18], or for protective and passivating layers [28][32][35]. In this contribution, an alternative method was adopted for the formation of Zn-alkoxide layers. While ALD is known to deliver pure dense ZnO, applied in many

• orientation. The insight obtained in this study could foster further research on Zn-alkoxide-derived porous ZnO, with important applications, e.g., in photocatalysis and biosensing. a) Growth per cycle (GPC) as a function of the plasma dose time. The saturation of the PE-ALD ZnO recipe was reached at 6 s of

Deposition of metal particles onto semiconductor nanorods using an ionic liquid

• Michael D. Ballentine,
• Elizabeth G. Embry,
• Marco A. Garcia and
• Lawrence J. Hill

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 718–724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.71

• and diameters smaller than 10 nm. This is important for the field of chalcogenide nanomaterials where 1D (nanorod) and 0D (quantum dot) materials are interfaced with metals on sub-10 nm length scales to facilitate charge transfer and photocatalysis [26]. Herein, we demonstrate that an ionic liquid may

• allows studying of photocatalysis over a broad range of temperatures. TEM images of Pt-decorated CdSe@CdS nanorods. a) Product of platinum deposition reaction conducted in toluene/triethylamine (tol-NR). b) Product of platinum deposition reaction conducted in [bmim][Tf2N] (IL-NR). Comparison of

Quantification and coupling of the electromagnetic and chemical contributions in surface-enhanced Raman scattering

• Yarong Su,
• Yuanzhen Shi,
• Ping Wang,
• Jinglei Du,
• Markus B. Raschke and
• Lin Pang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 549–556, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.56

• provides for a novel design principle to optimize SERS substrates for sensing and photocatalysis in a new systematic manner for quantitative analysis and photochemistry. New theoretical work to investigate the underlying electronic and vibronic structure of the metal–molecule system under different

Advanced scanning probe lithography using anatase-to-rutile transition to create localized TiO₂ nanorods

• Julian Kalb,
• Vanessa Knittel and
• Lukas Schmidt-Mende

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 412–418, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.40

• optoelectronic characteristics. The fabrication of nanostructured TiO2 is inexpensive and hence employed in many applications such as photodetectors [2], photovoltaics [3][4][5][6], photocatalysis [7][8][9][10][11], surficial disinfection [12], biosensing [13], gas sensing [14][15][16], dewetting [17][18][19

• adhesion between implants and body tissues [32]. Many of the listed applications could be refined into spatially resolved technologies such as locally controlled photocatalysis for molecule degradation, spatially resolved gas or molecule sensing, gradients on superhydrophilic surfaces with close-meshed

Thermal control of the defunctionalization of supported Au₂₅(glutathione)₁₈ catalysts for benzyl alcohol oxidation

• Zahraa Shahin,
• Hyewon Ji,
• Rodica Chiriac,
• Nadine Essayem,
• Franck Rataboul and
• Aude Demessence

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 228–237, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.21

• chemical sensing, bioimaging, biotherapy and catalysis. As a catalyst, GNCs, and mostly Au25(SR)18 gold thiolate clusters, have shown high activity for different reactions such as liquid or gas phase oxidation, hydrogenation, C–C coupling and electro/photocatalysis [13]. Based on different studies, it is

Nanostructure-induced performance degradation of WO₃·nH₂O for energy conversion and storage devices

• Zhenyin Hai,
• Mohammad Karbalaei Akbari,
• Zihan Wei,
• Danfeng Cui,
• Chenyang Xue,
• Hongyan Xu,
• Philippe M. Heynderickx,
• Francis Verpoort and
• Serge Zhuiykov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2845–2854, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.265

• corner-sharing arrangement with additional water molecules between layers, which is suitable for 2D intercalation chemistry [30][31][32]. Both WO3 and its hydrates have been fabricated via different methods and analyzed with regard to electrochemical, photocatalysis, sensing and electrochromic

Nanocellulose: Recent advances and its prospects in environmental remediation

• Katrina Pui Yee Shak,
• Yean Ling Pang and
• Shee Keat Mah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2479–2498, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.232

• particles will be lost during the recycling process. In another study, Taranto et al. [126] found that cellulose was sensitive to UV irradiation and prone to degradation during photocatalysis. The cellulose might compete with organic pollutants such as methanol for photocatalytically generated active

• are still rare since researchers mainly focused on adsorption of metals from diluted aqueous solution or photocatalysis as discussed in previous sections. Agglomeration remains an issue in the application of CNCs as flocculants. This is due to the hydrogen bond networks arising from the –OH groups on

Hierarchical heterostructures of Bi₂MoO₆ microflowers decorated with Ag₂CO₃ nanoparticles for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic removal of toxic pollutants

• Shijie Li,
• Wei Jiang,
• Shiwei Hu,
• Yu Liu,
• Yanping Liu,
• Kaibing Xu and
• Jianshe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2297–2305, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.214

• established. However, the conventional wastewater treatments are usually accompanied by high cost, low efficiency and other insufficiencies [2]. The decomposition and mineralization of pollutants under sunlight through photocatalysis has been demonstrated to be an effective and green technology for

• environmental remediation [3][4][5][6]. Crucial to photocatalysis is to obtain high-performance photocatalysts [7][8]. Obtaining excellent photocatalysts that can be excited by visible light (43% of the solar energy spectrum) is very important for practical applications [9][10][11][12][13][14]. Bi2MoO6 has been

Synthesis of a MnO₂/Fe₃O₄/diatomite nanocomposite as an efficient heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for methylene blue degradation

• Zishun Li,
• Xuekun Tang,
• Kun Liu,
• Jing Huang,
• Yueyang Xu,
• Qian Peng and
• Minlin Ao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1940–1950, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.185

• can not be degraded spontaneously, thus various methods focusing on the removal of organic pollutant, including adsorption, photocatalysis and advanced oxidation processes, have been extensively studied over the past decades [2][4][5]. Among these methods, advanced oxidation processes (AOP) are

A visible-light-controlled platform for prolonged drug release based on Ag-doped TiO₂ nanotubes with a hydrophobic layer

• Caihong Liang,
• Jiang Wen and
• Xiaoming Liao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1793–1801, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.170

• their well-defined geometry, stable structure [1], high surface-to-volume ratio, highly hydrophilic wetting characteristic [2][3], and remarkable photocatalysis properties [4]. However, the traditional drug delivery systems still exhibit many obvious drawbacks such as low drug solubility, uncontrolled

• light by doping AuNPs onto the nanotubes to improve the photocatalysis of the TNTs, which feasibly allows drug release under visible light. However, controlled drug release in combination with extended release delivery via a TiO2 nanotube platform has been rarely investigated. As a trace element

• electric field [33] and results in the generation of e− and h+ even under irradiation with lower energy light. Thus, doping with AgNPs has evidently enhanced the TiO2 photocatalysis under visible-light irradiation. However, after loading with the Zn2+-based drug and coating with the NDM layer, the

Controllable one-pot synthesis of uniform colloidal TiO₂ particles in a mixed solvent solution for photocatalysis

• Jong Tae Moon,
• Seung Ki Lee and
• Ji Bong Joo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1715–1727, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.163

• explored semiconducting material that exists in abundance from natural resources. It has a wide range of applications including bio-separation, sensors, energy storage, catalysis and photocatalysis [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Due to its wide band gap energy (3.0–3.2 eV) between the conduction and

• Honda and Fujishima [12]. Over the past decade, there have been many attempts to fabricate highly active TiO2-based photocatalysts for enhanced photocatalytic efficiency [13][14][15][16][17]. It is well-known that photocatalysis over a semiconductor photocatalyst occurs in the following sequential steps

• without charge recombination. Finally, each charge carrier can be consumed for surface redox reactions [9][15]. To achieve high performance in the overall photocatalysis system, the efficiency of each step should be improved [13]. Regarding the point of light absorption, the band gap energy range of the

Sulfur-, nitrogen- and platinum-doped titania thin films with high catalytic efficiency under visible-light illumination

• Boštjan Žener,
• Lev Matoh,
• Giorgio Carraro,
• Bojan Miljević and
• Romana Cerc Korošec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1629–1640, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.155

• and subsequent degradation was used to fit the experimental data. The results have shown an increase in photocatalytic activity under visible-light illumination of nonmetal and metal doped and co-doped titania thin films compared to an undoped sample. Keywords: doping; photocatalysis; sol–gel

• is used in a variety of applications, such as photovoltaics [2], white pigments [3], electrochemistry [4], catalytic support [5], and most notably, photocatalysis [6]. Photocatalysis is used to describe a process during which a semiconductor (titanium dioxide) interacts with light to produce reactive

• oxidizing species, which then oxidize adsorbed pollutants, forming CO2 and H2O as final products [7]. Because of this particularly beneficial characteristic, together with its low-cost and lack of secondary emissions [8], significant research has been focused on the use of TiO2 photocatalysis in various

Sheet-on-belt branched TiO₂(B)/rGO powders with enhanced photocatalytic activity

• Huan Xing,
• Wei Wen and
• Jin-Ming Wu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1550–1557, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.146

• TiO2(B) is usually adopted to construct phase junctions with anatase TiO2 for applications in photocatalysis to facilitate charge separation; its intrinsic photocatalytic activity, especially when in the form of one- or three-dimensional nanostructures, has been rarely reported. In this study, a sheet

• assist the photodegradation of phenol in water under UV light illumination. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the significantly increased surface area and enhanced charge separation. Keywords: branched nanostructure; photocatalysis; reduced graphene oxide; TiO2(B); Introduction

Cr(VI) remediation from aqueous environment through modified-TiO₂-mediated photocatalytic reduction

• Rashmi Acharya,
• Brundabana Naik and
• Kulamani Parida

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1448–1470, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.137

• industrial processes pose threat to aquatic life and downstream users. Various treatment techniques, such as chemical reduction, ion exchange, bacterial degradation, adsorption and photocatalysis, have been exploited for remediation of Cr(VI) from wastewater. Among these, photocatalysis has recently gained

• considerable attention. The applications of photocatalysis, such as water splitting, CO2 reduction, pollutant degradation, organic transformation reactions, N2 fixation, etc., towards solving the energy crisis and environmental issues are briefly discussed in the Introduction of this review. The advantages of

• photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) along with their good recoverability and recyclability. Keywords: charge transfer; Cr(VI) reduction; heterojunction; modified TiO2; photocatalysis; spinel oxides; Review Introduction The increase in the global population demands rapid growth of industrialization and

Ag₂WO₄ nanorods decorated with AgI nanoparticles: Novel and efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts for the degradation of water pollutants

• Shijie Li,
• Shiwei Hu,
• Wei Jiang,
• Yanping Liu,
• Yu Liu,
• Yingtang Zhou,
• Liuye Mo and
• Jianshe Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1308–1316, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.123

• photocatalytic performance. Keywords: AgI/Ag2WO4; nanocomposites; photocatalysis; visible light; Introduction The development of high-performance novel photocatalysts for the degradation of pollutants has received great interest due to the worsening of environmental pollution [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11

Noble metal-modified titania with visible-light activity for the decomposition of microorganisms

• Maya Endo,
• Zhishun Wei,
• Kunlei Wang,
• Baris Karabiyik,
• Kenta Yoshiiri,
• Paulina Rokicka,
• Bunsho Ohtani,
• Agata Markowska-Szczupak and
• Ewa Kowalska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 829–841, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.77

• ; antimicrobial properties; bactericidal effect; noble-metal nanoparticles; plasmonic photocatalysis; Introduction Environmental pollution and the lack of clean potable water are main issues facing human development. Although, various methods of efficient control and monitoring of waste management have been

• burn wounds (bandage and dressing), and protection against infection (braces and catheters). Photocatalysis is considered as one of the best methods for environmental purification since additional chemical compounds, such as strong oxidants (ozone, hydrogen peroxide or chlorine) [7][8][9][10][11][12

• be used for photocatalyst activation [20]. Titanium(IV) oxide (titania) is the most widely used semiconductor photocatalyst used in treatment of water/wastewater and air [21]. The major barrier for common application of titania photocatalysis is the low activity under solar radiation (mainly due to

Facile synthesis of a ZnO–BiOI p–n nano-heterojunction with excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity

• Mengyuan Zhang,
• Jiaqian Qin,
• Pengfei Yu,
• Bing Zhang,
• Mingzhen Ma,
• Xinyu Zhang and
• Riping Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 789–800, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.72

• well as the high specific area. Keywords: BiOI; photocatalytic degradation; p–n heterojunction; ZnO; Introduction The development of semiconductor photocatalysis has opened a new horizon for environmental pollution remediation and provides a potential solution to the global energy problem given the

• semiconductor’s band gap. Bismuth(III)-containing semiconductors (such as bismuth oxide [17], bismuth vanadate [18][19], bismuth tungstate [20], bismuth perovskite [21], bismuth molybdate [22], etc.) have been extensively researched as a broad hybrid orbital composed of Bi 6s in the field of photocatalysis

• becoming a key focus area for the design of novel and multifunctional materials in the field of photocatalysis. To date, unremitting efforts have been devoted to improving the photocatalysis efficiency [26][27][28][29]. Furthermore, coupling n-type semiconductor photocatalysts to p-type to form p–n

Surface-plasmon-enhanced ultraviolet emission of Au-decorated ZnO structures for gas sensing and photocatalytic devices

• T. Anh Thu Do,
• Truong Giang Ho,
• Thu Hoai Bui,
• Quang Ngan Pham,
• Hong Thai Giang,
• Thi Thu Do,
• Duc Van Nguyen and
• Dai Lam Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 771–779, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.70

• . Keywords: Au-decorated ZnO; carrier dynamics; gas sensors; photocatalyst; SPR effect; Introduction Inorganic transition metal oxide sensor devices have attracted attention in particular for improving gas sensing, energy conversion, electronics, photocatalysis and optoelectronic devices [1][2][3][4]. Among

• and support the design of efficient NO2 gas sensing and photocatalysis devices. The effects of Au NPs on the performance of ZnO-based gas sensors were also investigated at an optimized operating temperature of 120 °C towards pollutant gases in a wide range of concentrations. The enhanced sensitivity